G, 


THE 


LIFE  AND  REIGN 


OF 


NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST, 

0f  Jteia; 


DESCRIPTIONS    OF    RUSSIAN    SOCIETY 
AND    GOVERNMENT, 

fjistors  of  Wsx  in  %  fot,  until  %  frtstnt  ©me, 


SKETCHES  OF  SCHAMYL  THE  CIRCASSIAN  CHIEF,  AND 
OTHER  DISTINGUISHED  CHARACTERS. 


BY 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER,  A.M. 

AUTHOR  OP  THE  "COURT  AND  KEIGN  OF  CATHERINE  H.  EMPRESS  OP  RUSSIA,"  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
J.  W.  BRADLEY,  48  N.  FOURTH  ST. 

AUBURN,  N.  Y.: 

H.  A.  YATES,  57  GENESEE  ST. 
1856. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

J.  W.  BRADLEY, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  Pennsylvania, 

STEBEOTTPED  BT  L.  JOHNSON  AND  CO. 
PHILADELPHIA. 


StacK 
Annex 

5* 


2)3 
PREFACE. 


THE  position  which  the  late  Czar  Nicholas  I. 
will  occupy  in  the  history  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  is  an  equivocal  one.  So  far  as  he  is 
regarded  as  the  great  representative  of  Abso- 
lutism and  Despotism,  in  an  age  of  general  pro- 
gress and  improvement,  when  the  millions  are 
loudly  proclaiming  to  the  privileged  few,  that 
the  day  of  their  tyranny  will  soon  be  forever 
ended; — as  such  a  representative  of  the  feudal 
past,  Nicholas  I.  must  ever  be  regarded  as  a 
pernicious  and  bad  man,  who  employed  his  pro- 
digious power  to  turn  back,  as  far  as  he  could, 
the  great  dial-hand  of  human  progress. 

The  only  aspect  in  which  Nicholas  I.  presents 
himself  favourably  to  view,  is  with  reference  to 
the  stern  and  inflexible  qualities  of  his  mind; — 
the  immovable  decision,  the  daring  resolution, 
the  self-supporting  and  fiercely  defiant  obstinacy, 


i* 


s    *"•  '"!"")•'•',  ,<T'*'«'  * 

1.  f  «  O 


6  PREFACE. 

with  which  he  ventured  to  confront  the  united 
current  of  public  opinion,  which  swept  almost 
around  the  civilized  world;  and  arrayed  him- 
self, alone,  against  the  many-toned  voices  of  the 
race,  which  proclaimed  the  approach  of  the 
inevitable  era  of  the  enfranchisement  of  the 
nations. 

That  the  history  of  the  life  and  reign  of  such 
a  man  would  possess  not  only  great  interest, 
but  even  considerable  importance,  cannot  well 
be  doubted.  His  position  was  too  prominent, 
and  his  qualities  were  too  peculiar,  ever  to  permit 
his  name,  his  influence,  and  his  memory,  to 
descend  to  the  shades  of  the  common  oblivion. 
A  few  men  there  have  been,  in  this  nineteenth 
century,  who  loom  far  upward  into  the  political 
heavens,  and  tower  like  mighty  Alps  above  the 
ordinary  level ;  who  astonish,  delight,  and  even 
terrify,  mankind  by  their  superior  vastness  and 
greatness,  both  of  natural  abilities,  and  of  ac- 
quired, or  inherited,  official  station.  Napoleon  I. 
was  one,  and  certainly  the  greatest,  of  these. 
Napoleon  III.  is  without  question  another.  And 
Nicholas  I.  may  well  be  classed  among  the  most 


PREFACE.  7 

memorable  of  the  men  whose  careers  have  illus- 
trated the  present  century. 

Whether  the  following  work  is  a  production 
in  any  degree  worthy  of  the  interest  and  import- 
ance of  the  subject,  is  a  question  which  the 
reader  alone  must  determine.  No  complete 
history  of  the  life  and  reign  of  Nicholas  I.  has 
yet  appeared  in  our  language.  That  so  great  a 
personage,  and  so  remarkable  a  man,  deserved  a 
laboured  and  complete  record  of  his  life  and 
career,  will  readily  be  admitted.  The  present 
writer,  having  carefully  used  all  the  materials 
which  could  be  obtained,  having  reference  to 
the  subject,  has  only  to  conclude  by  hoping,  that 
the  success  of  his  labours  may  have  been  in 
some  degree  commensurate  with  his  intentions. 

S.  M.  S. 

PHILADELPHIA,  January,  1856. 


CONTENTS. 


MM 

PREFACE 5 


INTRODUCTION. 

A  Brief  Survey  of  Russian  History — The  Aboriginal  Inhabitants 
of  Russia — Introduction  of  Christianity  into  Russia — Ivan  the 
Great — Election  of  the  Romanoffs  to  the  Throne — Michael 
Romanoff — Origin  of  the  word  Czar — Peter  the  Great — Cathe- 
rine II. — Hereditary  Ambition  of  the  Romanoffs — Catalogue 
of  the  Sovereigns  of  that  House 17 

CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Youth  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas — His  early  Educa- 
tion— His  peculiar  Disposition — Nicholas  visits  the  Courts 
and  Capitals  of  Europe — His  Military  Studies — He  expects  to 
succeed  his  Brother,  Alexander  I.,  on  the  Throne 28 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Marriage  of  Nicholas  with  the  Princess  Marie  Charlotte 
of  Prussia — The  Attachment  of  Nicholas  to  her — Appearance 
and  Disposition  of  the  Princess — Her  Situation  at  the  Court 
of  St.  Petersburg — Peculiarities  of  Nicholas,  while  Grand 
Duke — His  Residence  at  the  Anitchkoff  Palace 35 

CHAPTER  III. 

Personal  Habits  of  the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas — Anecdote  of  his 
Visit  to  Berlin — The  Parisian  Dandy  and  Nicholas  at  St. 
Petersburg — Pursuits  of  Nicholas  at  this  period — His  Asso- 
ciates ami  Attendants ,  42 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MM 

Disasters  of  the  last  Tear  of  the  Reign  of  Alexander  I. — In- 
undation of  the  Neva  at  St.  Petersburg — Intrigue  of  Alex- 
ander I.  with  Madame  Sophia  K. — Her  unfaithfulness  to  him 
— The  Death  of  his  illegitimate  Daughter — His  Health  is 
affected — He  determines  to  visit  the  Crimea — Secret  Conspi- 
racies, throughout  Russia,  against  Alexander  I. — Death  of 
Alexander  I.  at  Taganrog 48 


CHAPTER  V. 

Members  of  the  Imperial  Family — Solemn  Scene  at  St.  Peters- 
burg— Effect  of  the  News  of  Alexander's  Death — The  mys- 
terious Packet — Nicholas  declines  the  Throne— The  Grand 
Duke  Constantine  refuses  the  Succession — The  Letter  of 
Constantine  on  the  Succession,  in  favour  of  the  Grand 
Duke ...  ,  54 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Accession  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  I. — His  Manifesto — Appre- 
hensions at  St.  Petersburg — The  Conspiracy  of  the  Nobles 
against  Nicholas — The  Army  is  seduced  by  them  into  Revolt 
— Memorable  Scene  in  St.  Isaac's  Square — Narrow  Escape  of 
Nicholas  from  Death — His  heroic  Conduct — Count  Alexis  Or- 
loflf— Nicholas  suppresses  the  Insurrection 64 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Death  of  Milarodovitch — Te  Deum  chanted — Arrest  of  the  lead- 
ing Conspirators — Troubetskoi — The  Soldiers  take  the  Oath 
of  Allegiance  to  Nicholas — Prince  Tchernycheflf — Commission 
appointed  to  try  the  Conspirators — Nicholas  appoints  his  Cabi- 
net Ministers — The  Grand  Duke  Constantino's  Letter  of  Con- 
gratulation to  Nicholas  1 76 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

MM 

Vast  Magnitude  of  the  Empire  inherited  by  Nicholas  I. — Per- 
sonal Appearance  of  Nicholas  at  the  period  of  his  Accession 
— His  Intellectual  Qualities — Geographical  Limits  of  his  Em- 
pire— His  Military  Resources — His  Naval  Forces — The  Effec- 
tiveness of  the  Police  of  Russia — Revenues  of  the  Empire — 
Attachment  of  the  Greek  Church  to  the  Czars — Nicholas  be- 
comes the  great  Representative  of  Absolutism  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Century 90 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Coronation  of  Nicholas  I. — The  vast  crowds  of  Persons  assem- 
bled at  Moscow,  from  various  Countries — Description  of  the 
Kremlin — The  Imperial  Processions — The  imposing  Ceremo- 
nies in  the  Cathedral  of  the  Assumption — The  Manifesto 
published  by  Nicholas  after  his  Coronation — The  continued 
Festivities,  Balls,  and  Masquerades,  in  Moscow — Congratula- 
tions throughout  the  Empire , 102 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Accession  of  Nicholas  recognised  by  the  Courts  of  Europe 
— Nicholas  declares  War  against  Persia — Preparations  of  the 
Shah — Abbas  Mirza — Paskiewitch  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  Russian  Armies — Battles  between  the  Russian  and 
Persian  forces — The  Shah  sues  for  Peace — The  Terms  pro- 
posed by  Nicholas — They  are  accepted  by  the  Shah — Treaties 
between  Russia  and  Turkey 112 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Nicholas  declares  War  against  the  Sultan — He  visits  in  Person 
the  Army  stationed  on  the  Pruth — Attack  of  the  Russians 
on  Shumla — Their  Defeat — They  capture  Varna — Menschi- 
Koff — Campaign  of  1829 — Energy  of  General  Diebitsch — The 
capture  of  Silistria  by  the  Russians — The  March  across  the 
Balkan  Mountains — Siege  of  Adrianople — Singular  Imbecility 
of  the  Turkish  Generals — The  memorable  Treaty  of  Adri- 
anople   121 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

Nicholas  crowned  at  Warsaw  in  1829 — Cruelties  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantino  at  Warsaw — Revolution  breaks  out  at  War- 
saw— Manifesto  of  Nicholas — Radzivil — Manifesto  of  the  Poles 
— Russian  Armies  advance  to  Warsaw — Memorable  Battle  near 
Warsaw — Immortal  Heroism  of  the  Poles — Victory  claimed 
by  both  Sides — Chlopicky — Terror  in  Warsaw — Despair  and 
Death  of  General  Diebitsch — Marshal  Paskiewitch  appointed 
to  the  Command — He  captures  Warsaw,  and  suppresses  the 
Revolution 136 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Terrible  Vengeance  of  Nicholas  on  the  Poles — Cruelties  perpe- 
trated in  Podolia — In  Warsaw — Jews  of  Poland — Hostility 
and  Contempt  of  Nicholas  toward  the  Polish  Jews — History 
of  the  United  Greek  Church  in  Poland — Horrible  Cruelties 
inflicted  by  Nicholas  on  the  Nuns  of  Minsk — Different  Opinions 
on  this  Subject 152 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Literature  of  Russia — The  four  great  Literary  Names  of  Rus- 
sia— Sketch  of  the  greatest  of  them,  Karamsin — More  recent 
eminent  Men  of  Letters — Nicholas  patronizes  the  Diplomatic, 
Engineering,  and  Military  Schools — The  Language  of  Russia 
— Indifference  of  Nicholas  to  Sciences  and  Branches  of  Learn- 
ing which  were  useless  in  War 163 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Personal  Qualities  of  Nicholas — His  Physical  Appearance — His 
Mental  Qualities — His  Claims  to  being  a  Great  Man — His 
despotic  Spirit — His  Cruelties — The  Owner  of  Twenty  Millions 
of  Serfs — Favourable  Features  of  his  Character — His  Intre- 
pidity— His  Qualities  as  a  Husband  and  Father — His  amor- 
ous Intrigues 178 


CONTENTS.  XI 11 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

run 

Different  Classes  of  Society  in  Russia — Morals  of  the  Nobles 
or  Boyards — Orders  of  the  Tchinn — Condition  and  Character 
of  the  Serfs — Venality  and  Corruption  of  the  Government 
Officials — The  Machinery  of  the  Government  under  the  Czar 
— The  Senate — The  Council  of  the  Empire — The  Holy  Synod 
— The  Ministry — Municipal  Government  of  the  Cities  and 
Towns — The  Greek  Church — Russian  Priesthood — The  Rus- 
sian Hierarchy — The  Ceremonies  of  the  Church — The  Armies 
of  Russia — Vast  Military  Forces  at  the  Command  of  the 
Czar...  .,  184 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Excessive  Venality  among  the  Russian  Officials — Count  Benken- 
dorf — Efforts  of  Nicholas  to  remedy  this  Evil — Instance  of 
Judicial  Corruption — Peculiarities  of  Russian  Society — The 
Ladies  of  Russia — Extravagance  of  Russian  Nobles — Distin- 
guished Men  of  Russia — Nesselrode — Orloff — Menschikoff — 
Prince  Paskiewitch — Prince  Woronzof 203 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

The  Patronage  extended  by  Nicholas  to  the  Fine  Arts — The 
Court  Theatre — The  Opera — Rubini — Garcia — Sontag — Fanny 
Elssler — Rachel — Members  of  the  Imperial  Family — The  Em- 
press— Alexander  II. — The  Grand  Duke  Constantino — Splen- 
did Monument  erected  by  Nicholas  to  the  Memory  of  Alex- 
ander I. — Nicholas  an  Imitator  of  Napoleon  1 215 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  two  great  Merits  of  the  Character  of  Nicholas  I. — Inci- 
dents illustrative  of  them — The  Russian  Code  of  Laws — Con- 
spiracy against  the  Life  of  Nicholas — Benevolence  of  the  Czar 
— His  Intrepid  Conduct  during  the  Prevalence  of  the  Cho- 
lera— His  despotic  Conduct  as  a  Sovereign 226 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

MM 

The  peculiar  Talent  possessed  by  Nicholas — His  favourite  Mi- 
nisters— Count  Kleinmichel — Count  Kakoshkine — The  thievish 
Nobleman — Prince  Tchernichef — Hatred  of  Nicholas  to  Louis 
Philippe — The  Imperial  Nursery — The  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg 
— Conduct  of  Nicholas  toward  the  City  of  Abo — Library  of 
the  Imperial  Palace — The  Censorship  of  the  Press — Absolut- 
ism sometimes  useful  in  Russia 240 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

War  in  the  Caucasus — Ancient  History  of  that  Country — Cha- 
racter of  the  Caucasian  Chiefs — Visit  of  Nicholas  to  the  Cau- 
casus in  1837 — Incidents  of  the  War  in  the  Caucasus — Scha- 
myl  successfully  resists  the  Russian  troops — Visit  of  Nicholas 
to  Western  Europe,  in  1844 — Insurrection  in  Cracow,  in  1846 
— Hungarian  Revolution,  in  1848 263 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Early  History  of  the  Crimea — Current  of  Modern  Events — 
Catherine  II. — She  subjugates  the  Crimea — Origin  of  Sevas- 
topol— Nicholas  determines  to  commence  the  Conquest  of  Tur- 
key— His  Sentiments  on  the  Subject — His  Pretext  about  the 
Holy  Places  in  Palestine — His  Ultimatum — The  Representa- 
tives of  the  Four  Powers  at  Vienna — The  Ultimatissimum  of 
Nicholas — It  is  rejected  by  the  Turkish  Divan — Declaration 
of  War  by  Nicholas — His  Troops  enter  the  Principalities — 
Declaration  of  War  by  the  Sultan — Omar  Pasha — Feelings  of 
the  Turkish  Nation  respecting  the  War 279 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Manifesto  of  Nicholas  respecting  the  War — Battle  of  Turtukai 
— Destruction  of  the  Turkish  Fleet  at  Sinope — Exultation  of 
the  Czar — Victory  of  the  Turks  at  Citale — Declaration  of 
War  by  England  and  France — The  Allied  Army  and  Gene- 
rals— Celebrated  Siege  of  Silistria — Memorable  Triumph  of 
the  Turks...  ..  297 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ri«« 

Departure  of  the  Allies  from  Varna  —  Landing  at  Old  Fort  — 
Plans  of  the  Campaign  —  Sevastopol  —  Battle  of  the  Alma  — 
Preparations  of  the  Russians  —  Tremendous  Struggles  between 
the  Combatants  —  Decisive  Victory  of  the  Allies  —  Retreat  of 
the  Russians  —  Consequences  of  the  Battle  —  The  Advance  to- 
ward Sevastopol  —  Battle  of  Balaklava  ...............................  312 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Arrival  of  Reinforcements  in  Sevastopol,  under  General  Dan- 
nenberg  —  A  great  pitched  Battle  contemplated  by  the  Rus- 
sians —  The  Preparations  of  the  Russians  —  Memorable  Battle 
of  Inkermann  —  Heroism  of  the  Life  Guards  —  Succour  afforded 
by  the  French—  Victory  of  the  Allies—  Results  of  the  Battle...  327 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Siege  of  Sevastopol  continued  with  great  Vigour  —  The  failing 
Health  of  Nicholas  —  Defeat  of  the  Russians  at  Eupatoria  — 
Effect  of  this  Disaster  on  the  Health  and  Spirits  of  Nicho- 
las —  He  is  confined  to  his  Bed  —  His  last  Interview  with  his 
Ministers  —  His  Instructions  to  his  Successor,  Alexander  II.  — 
His  last  Interview  with  his  Family  —  His  Death  —  His  Succes- 
sor is  proclaimed  —  The  works  of  Sevastopol  —  General  Tod- 
leben  —  Florence  Nightingale  .............................................  334 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Preparations  for  a  final  Assault  on  Sevastopol  —  The  Battle  of 
Tchernaya  —  Results  of  the  Battle  —  Commencement  of  the 
grand  Assault  —  The  second  Day  —  The  third  Day  —  Capture  of 
the  Malakoff—  The  Failure  of  the  English  Attack  on  the  Re- 
dan —  The  Russians  evacuate  the  Southern  Portion  of  Sevas- 
topol —  Stupendous  Victory  of  the  Allies  —  Hospital  Scenes  in 
Sevastopol  .....................................................................  349 


XVi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PAGE 

The  Repulse  of  the  Russians  at  Ears — Victory  of  the  Allies  at 
Kinburn — Visit  of  the  Czar,  Alexander  II.,  to  Nicolaieff — To 
Odessa — His  Return  to  St.  Petersburg — Ambassador  from  Per- 
sia to  the  Czar — The  Members  of  the  Imperial  Family — The 
Grand  Duke  Constantino — Capture  of  Kars — General  Mou- 
ravieff....  ..  361 


APPENDIX. 


No.  I. 
Schamyl,  Prince  of  the  Circassians 375 

No.  II. 
Prince  Woronzof,  Governor  of  the  Crimea 387 

NO.  ra. 

The  Cossacks 392 

No.  IV. 
The  Serfs 396 

No.  V. 
The  Kremlin 399 


THE 


EMPEROR  NICHOLAS  I. 


INTRODUCTION'. 

A   BRIEF    SURVEY    OF   RUSSIAN  HISTORY — THE  ABORIGINAL  INHABITANTS 
OF    RUSSIA  —  INTRODUCTION   OF    CHRISTIANITY    INTO    RUSSIA  —  IVAN 

THE     GREAT  —  ELECTION      OF     THE     ROMANOFFS     TO    THE    THRONE 

MICHAEL  ROMANOFF  —  ORIGIN  OF  THE  WORD  CZAR  —  PETER  THE 
GREAT — CATHERINE  II. — HEREDITARY  AMBITION  OF  THE  ROMANOFFS 
— CATALOGUE  OF  THE  SOVEREIGNS  OF  THAT  HOUSE. 

IN  the  remote  and  shadowy  ages  of  antiquity,  the 
people  who  inhabited  that  vast  country  now  known 
as  Russia  were  composed  of  three  distinct  races. 
These  were  the  Scythians,  in  the  south ;  the  Slavo- 
nians, in  the  centre ;  and  the  Fins,  in  the  north. 
The  first  monarch  who  reigned  over  these  several 
nations  as  a  united  and  organized  community  was 
Rurik,  who  dates  from  the  year  A.  D.  862.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Oleg,  in  the  year  879.  Fifty  suc- 
cessive sovereigns  of  the  Rurik  dynasty  governed 
the  country,  until  the  year  1584,  when  several 

2*  17 


18  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

princes  succeeded,  who  obtained  possession  of  the 
prerogatives  of  the  extinct  race. 

During  the  reign  of  Vladimir,  a  distinguished 
hero  and  warrior  of  those  times,  in  A.  D.  984,  Chris- 
tianity was  introduced  into  his  dominions.  Dis- 
gusted with  the  heathenism  which  he  and  his  sub- 
jects had  long  professed,  he  looked  around  him  to 
discover  some  better  and  nobler  system  of  belief. 
His  mind  was  for  some  time  greatly  exercised  as  to 
whether  he  should  choose  Mohammedanism,  Ju- 
daism, Catholicism,  or  the  Greek  form  of  Chris- 
tianity. As  to  Mohammedanism,  he  was  indeed 
attracted  by  the  glowing  descriptions  which  he  re- 
ceived of  the  luxurious  paradise  reserved  for  the 
faithful,  and  had  no  objection  whatever  to  its 
lovely  houris  and  its  voluptuous  joys.  But  he 
loved  wine  even  better  than  he  loved  women ;  and 
could  not,  on  any  account,  consent  to  abandon  his 
favourite  indulgence.  As  to  Judaism,  he  turned 
away  in  disgust  from  the  rite  of  circumcision ;  and, 
moreover,  despised  a  race  who  were  perennial  wan- 
derers over  the  earth,  without  any  fixed  homes  or 
country.  He  rejected  Catholicism,  because  the 
Pope  was  represented  to  him  as  being  an  arrogant 
wretch,  who  impiously  assumed  the  prerogatives  of 
an  earthly  deity;  and  this  was  repugnant  to  his 
own  supremacy  and  consequence.  Vladimir  finally 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  19 

settled  down  in  the  choice  of  the  Greek  religion ; 
chiefly  because  his  revered  ancestress,  Olga,  had 
been  a  Greek  woman ;  and  because  that  faith  was 
happily  exempt  from  the  important  objections 
which  so  severely  operated  against  its  rivals.  In 
A.  D.  1015,  Vladimir  died,  after  a  reign  of  thirty-five 
years,  with  the  honourable  epithet  of  "the  Great" 
attached  to  his  name.  On  his  adoption  of  the 
Greek  religion,  he  ordered  all  his  subjects  to  imi- 
tate his  example ;  and  thus,  by  one  grand  edict  of 
despotic  power,  Russia  became  enrolled  among  the 
catalogue  of  Christian  nations. 

Already,  in  the  eleventh  century,  Russia  pos- 
sessed an  acknowledged  dynasty,  a  European  re- 
ligion, and  a  fixed  code  of  laws;  though  the 
latter  exhibited  more  than  an  ordinary  share  of 
the  barbarity  which  characterized  the  jurispru- 
dence of  European  countries  during  the  Middle 
Ages. 

In  the  year  1462,  Ivan  the  Great  ascended  the 
throne.  He  may  fitly  be  regarded  as  the  antitype 
of  the  Czar  Nicholas ;  for  the  period  of  his  reign, 
which  continued  forty-three  years,  is  marked  as  the 
one  in  which  despotism  obtained  that  ascendency 
in  Russia  which  it  has  ever  since  maintained,  in  the 
person  of  the  sovereign.  He  devoted  his  whole  life 
to  the  establishment  of  absolute  power,  and  de- 


20  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

vised  and  perfected  the  system  of  serfdom  which 
has  ever  since  existed  in  the  dominions  of  the 
czar.*  He  gradually  wrested  from  the  great  commu- 
nities of  Novogorod,  Viatka,  and  also  of  Lithuania, 
their  ancient  privileges;  and  Moscow,  the  capital 
of  his  empire,  became  the  centre  of  still  greater 
opulence,  power,  and  prosperity. 

The  darkest  period  of  Russian  history  is  that  of 
the  reign  of  Ivan  IV.  "the  Terrible."  He  sat  upon 
the  throne  for  twenty-nine  years,  from  1534  to 
1563.  During  this  period,  the  Russians  were  the 
most  debased  community  in  Europe:  their  igno- 
rance and  wretchedness  were  extreme;  the  rights 
of  the  strongest  everywhere  prevailed ;  fathers  sold 
their  children  into  slavery;  continual  wars  devas- 
tated the  country ;  the  princes  tyrannized  with  fear- 

*  The  Russian  word  czar  or  tsar  is  usually  supposed  to  be  derived 
from  the  Latin  Ccesar.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  fact ;  inasmuch  as 
in  the  old  Slavonic  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  the  name  of 
Caesar  is  written  Kessar  or  l£e$ar,  (Matt.  xxii.  21 ;)  and  the  title  czar 
is  applied,  in  it,  to  kings  in  general.  The  title  itself  was  first  assumed, 
in  1547,  by  Ivan  IV.,  and  the  word  is  used  in  the  formulary  of  his 
coronation.  The  word  appears  to  have  been  of  Tartar  origin,  and  to 
have  been  originally  applied  to  the  Great  Khans  of  Tartary.  As  long 
as  the  Grand  Prince  of  Moscow  remained  tributary  to  the  Great  Khan, 
the  title  of  czar  was  used  by  the  former  to  the  latter ;  but  when  that 
relation  terminated,  the  Prince  of  Moscow,  with  his  independence, 
assumed  also  the  title  of  his  late  superior,  to  indicate  their  equality. 
Being  thus  transplanted  to  Russia,  the  title  has  ever  since  been 
retained  by  her  successive  sovereigns.  Vide  Karamsin,  Histoire  de 
V Empire  de  Russie,  VI.,  ch.  vii. 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  21 

ful  cruelty  over  the  helpless  serfs;  persons  might 
sell  themselves  into  slavery;  the  penal  code  was 
marked  by  barbarities  unheard  of  in  any  other 
country  in  Christendom ;  and  the  excessive  ferocity 
and  ungovernable  passions  of  the  sovereign1  carried 
ruin  and  dismay  everywhere  throughout  his  domi- 
nions. 

Years  of  gloom  and  suffering  rolled  away,  and  at 
length,  in  1613,  the  first  prince  of  the  illustrious 
race  of  the  Romanoffs  ascended  the  throne.  He 
assumed  the  name  of  Michael  IV.  In  the  middle  of 
Lent  in  that  year,  an  election  was  held  at  Moscow 
for  a  successor  to  fill  the  place  of  Yladislaus  I.,  who 
had  recently  expired,  without  heir  or  issue.  The 
princes  Mstislavski  and  Pojarsky  wisely  refused  the 
dangerous  elevation  offered  them.  Many  other 
candidates,  who  were  willing  to  endure,  for  the 
good  of  the  state,  the  cares  and  dangers  of  empire, 
were  successively  set  aside.  At  length  the  name  of 
Michael  Eomanoff  was  proposed.  He  was  then  a 
youth  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  of  fair  character,  but 
quite  unknown.  His  ancestors  had  filled,  at  dif- 
ferent times,  the  highest  offices  of  the  state.  He 
had  not  been  implicated  in  the  desperate  struggles 
which  had  previously  convulsed  the  nation. 

These  were  the  principal  causes  which  rendered 
him  more  acceptable  to  the  assembled  boyars  than 


22  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

any  of  his  competitors.  He  was,  moreover,  ably 
supported  by  the  influence  of  the  metropolitan  of 
Moscow,  the  highest  ecclesiastical  dignitary  in  the 
kingdom. 

On  accepting  the  proffered  crown,  Michael  Ro- 
manoff made  solemn  oath  that  he  would  carefully 
protect  the  Greek  religion ;  that  he  would  pardon 
all  the  injuries  that  had  been  inflicted  on  his  father; 
that  he  would  decree  no  new  laws  except  a  stern 
necessity  absolutely  required  it;  that  he  would 
neither  make  war  nor  conclude  peace  without  the 
concurrence  of  the  boyars;  and  that  he  would 
merge  his  private  fortune  into  the  domains  of  the 
crown.  Thus,  we  may  observe  that  the  most 
despotic  dynasty  of  Europe  was  an  elected  one ;  de- 
riving its  powers  and  prerogatives  solely  from  the 
will  of  the  nation ;  and  holding  them  originally  by 
the  most  feeble  tenure,  and  circumscribed  by  the 
most  republican  restrictions.  m 

Sixteen  sovereigns  of  the  great  house  of  Ro- 
manoff have  successively  reigned  in  Russia  since 
their  first  elevation  to  the  throne.  Under  their 
guidance,  their  dominions  have  advanced  in  some 
respects,  and  have  retrograded  in  others.  The 
highest  ornament  of  the  Romanoff  dynasty  was 
Peter  the  Great;  and  to  his  commanding  genius 
and  sagacious  views  Russia  owes  the  eminence 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  23 

which  she  now  possesses  among  civilized  nations, 
for  her  colossal  proportions,  for  her  physical  gran- 
deur, and  for  her  material  splendours.  Of  intellec- 
tual advancement,  or  of  supremacy  in  the  arts, 
sciences,  and  all  the  nobler  pursuits  of  humanity, 
she  cannot  boast.  To  Peter  the  Great  she  owes 
her  second  and  greater  capital  in  the  north,  the 
acquisition  of  the  Baltic  provinces,  and  the  pos- 
session of  other  important  conquests  in  the  south 
and  west. 

Elizabeth  Petrovna  was  the  daughter  of  Peter  the 
Great  and  the  first  Catherine.  She  left  the  throne, 
at  her  death,  to  the  youthful  Peter  IE.,  son  of  the 
unfortunate  Czarevitch  Alexius,  who  had  been  be- 
headed by  the  cruel  order  of  his  father.  Peter  II. 
reigned  three  years,  and  in  1730  was  succeeded  by. 
the  Empress  Anne,  daughter  of  the  Czar  Ivan,  the 
elder  brother  of  the  first  Peter. 

To  Anne,  in  1740,  succeeded  his  nephew,  Ivan 
IH.,  who  was  deposed  by  a  conspiracy,  headed  by  a 
German  surgeon  named  Lestock,  thirteen  months 
afterward,  in  order  to  elevate  the  famous  Elizabeth 
to  the  throne.  This  princess  possessed'  consider- 
able resemblance  to  her  mother,  the  beautiful  Cathe- 
rine I.  But  if  she  equalled  her  in  those  attrac- 
tive qualities  which  render  the  society  of  women 
agreeable,  she  surpassed  her  in  the  immoderate 


24  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

love  of  vicious  pleasure.  Instead  of  having  the  art 
of  commanding,  like  her  mother,  Elizabeth  per- 
mitted herself  to  be  controlled  by  others ;  and  this 
weakness  was  the  primary  cause  of  all  the  misfor- 
tunes of  Peter  HE.  In  order  that  she  might  retain 
her  independence,  Elizabeth  declined  all  offers  of 
matrimony:  but  she  did  not  the  less  indulge  in 
licentiousness ;  and  since  she  was  a  bigot  as  well  as 
a  sensualist,  she  was  induced  by  her  grand  veneur, 
the  Field-Marshal  Razumousky,  to  agree  to  a  pri- 
vate marriage  with  him.  The  two  Counts  Tarra- 
kanoff  and  their  sister — the  fate  of  which  princess 
forms  so  melancholy  an  episode  in  the  history  of 
Catherine  II. — were  the  fruit  of  this  secret  union. 
Elizabeth,  however,  did  not  content  herself  with 
one  lover ;  she  made  frequent  changes.  But  Razu- 
mousky permitted  no  one  to  approach  her  except 
those  whom  he  thought  incapable  of  attempting  to 
share  the  administration  of  the  government  with 
him. 

To  her  violent  propensity  to  voluptuousness 
Elizabeth  added  first  the  love  of  good  eating,  and 
then  the  pleasures  of  wine.  Banquets,  feasts,  balls, 
masquerades,  and  the  most  frivolous  amusements, 
were  preferred  to  business.  By  degrees  she  pro- 
ceeded from  moderate  enjoyments  to  the  extrava- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  25 

gance  of  sensuality.  Her  taste  for  devotion  aug- 
mented her  voluptuousness,  and  added  to  the  ab- 
surdity of  her  character.  She  continued  during 
whole  hours  on  her  knees,  before  the  picture  of  her 
iavourite  saint ;  to  which  she  spoke,  and  which  she 
even  consulted.  She  passed  alternately  from  acts 
of  bigotry  to  the  intemperance  of  lust,  and  from 
scenes  of  extreme  lasciviousness  to  the  soothing 
opiates  of  prayer.  To  describe  her  unblushing 
excesses  would  stain  the  page  of  history. 

At  length,  on  Christmas  day,  1761,  after  an  in- 
glorious reign  of  twenty-one  years,  Elizabeth  ex- 
pired, in  the  fifty-second  year  of  her  age.  The 
indolence  of  her  character  subjected  her  to  the 
selfish  and  wicked  designs  of  her  favourites,  who 
made  a  bad  use  of  her  authority.  Her  devotion 
rendered  her  impious,  antf.  her  clemency  cruel.  At 
the  commencement  of  her  reign,  she  made  a  vow 
never  to  punish  a  malefactor  with  death:  the 
judges,  therefore,  who  could  not  decapitate  crimi- 
nals, deprived  them  of  life  by  the  barbarous  punish- 
ment of  the  knout ;  and  never  were  more  tongues 
cut  out,  or  miserable  wretches  sent  to  Siberia,  than 
under  the  clement  reign  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth. 
In  dungeons  not  far  from  her  own  palace  were  lan- 
guishing in  misery  a  dethroned  emperor,  several 


26  THE   LIFE    AND    REIGN 

princes  and  dukes,  besides  many  courtiers,  states- 
men, generals,  officers,  and  even  women. 

It  is  computed  that  her  conduct  cost  the  empire 
every  year  at  least  a  thousand  lives,  either  by  im- 
prisonment or  by  banishment.  Nothing  was  more 
easy  than  to  obtain  a  secret  order  for  these  cruel  pur- 
poses, by  the  base  flatterers  that  always  surrounded 
her  person.  It  was  sufficient  for  one  of  her  maids 
of  honour  to  think  herself  slighted,  to  obtain  an 
order  to  have  the  offender  taken  out  of  bed  at  night, 
carried  away  gagged  and  blindfolded,  and  immured 
underground,  to  drag  out  the  remainder  of  a  mi- 
serable life  in  a  loathsome  dungeon,  without  ever 
being  charged  with  any  crime.  Many  of  these  un- 
fortunate persons  were  known  to  be  still  existing 
under  the  bastions  and  towers  of  different  fortresses 
so  late  as  the  year  1780,  besides  the  many  hundreds 
that  were  sent  to  perish  in  the  frozen  regions  of 
Siberia. 

To  Elizabeth  succeeded  Peter  HE.,  the  unfor- 
tunate husband  of  the  gifted  though  shameless 
Semiramis  of  the  north,  Catherine  IE.  Nicholas  I., 
one  of  her  successors,  and  the  subject  of  the  pre- 
sent history,  vainly  imagined  that  in  his  own 
august  person  the  world  was  at  length  destined  to 
behold  the  fated  conqueror  of  Constantinople,  who 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  27 

would  wear  on  his  anointed  head  the  double  dia- 
dem of  the  fallen  Moslem  sovereign,  united  with 
that  of  the  ancient  czars  of  Muscovy.* 

*  The  following  catalogue  contains  a  list  of  the  successive  emperors 
of  the  Romanoff  dynasty,  from  the  period  of  their  accession  to  the 
throne  until  the  present  time: — 

Michael,  or  Mikhail  Foedorovitch 1613 

Alexis  Mikhai'lovitch 1645 

Foedor  III.  (or  II.)  Alex6iovitch 1676 

Joann  V.  Alex&ovitch  (conjointly  with  his  brother)....  1682 

Peter  I.  Alex&ovitch  the  Great 1696 

Catherine  I.  Alex&ovana 1725 

Peter  II.  Alex&ovitch 1727 

Anna  Joannovna 1730 

Joann  VI.  Antonovitch 1740 

Elizabeth  Petrovna 1741 

Peter  III.  Foedorovitch 1761 

Catherine  II.  Alex&ovna  the  Great 1762 

Paul  Petrovitch 1796 

Alexander  Paulovitch 1801 

Nicholas  Paulovitch 1825 

Alexander  II...  ,.  1855 


28  THE   LIFE   AND    KEIGN 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH   AND   YOUTH    OF    THE    EMPEROR    NICHOLAS — HIS    EARLY    EDUCA- 
TION  HIS     PECULIAR     DISPOSITION — NICHOLAS     VISITS     THE     COURTS 

AND    CAPITALS    OF    EUROPE HIS    MILITARY    STUDIES  —  HE     EXPECTS 

TO     SUCCEED     HIS     BROTHER     ALEXANDER     I.    ON     THE     THRONE HE 

PURSUES    THE    NECESSARY    STUDIES. 

NICHOLAS  PAULOVITCH,  the  late  Czar  of  all  the 
Russias,  was  born  at  the  palace  of  Gatshina,  near 
St.  Petersburg,  on  the  25th  of  June,  1796.  He  was 
the  ninth  of  the  ten  children  who  were  the  fruit  of 
the  marriage  of  Paul  I.  with  his  second  wife,  Maria 
Feodrovna,  Princess  of  "Wurtemberg.  There  were 
no  particular  demonstrations  of  national  joy  on  the 
event  of  his  birth,  because,  in  consequence  of  the 
arrangement  contemplated  by  the  Empress  Cathe- 
rine, who  still  survived,  the  empire  of  Russia  had 
already  been  designated  for  his  elder  brother  Alex- 
ander, while  she  appropriated  the  expected  throne 
of  the  Turkish  empire  to  Constantine.  A  career 
of  no  great  distinction  or  splendour  was  therefore 
anticipated  for  Nicholas. 

"When  he  was  but  four  months  old,  his  grand- 
mother Catherine  II.  expired ;  and  Paul  L,  her  son, 


OF   NICHOLAS   TIIE   FIRST.  29 

in  opposition  to  her  wishes,  ascended  the  vacant 
throne.  The  empress  herself  superintended  the  early 
education  of  Nicholas ;  but  at  the  age  of  ten,  he  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  Lambsdorff,  Storch,  Ade- 
lung,  and  Marevieff,  distinguished  savans  of  that 
period,  who  directed  his  studies  in  all  the  various 
departments  of  useful  and  elegant  learning.  Du- 
puget  of  Lausanne  was  appointed  to  instruct  him 
in  the  French  language  and  literature. 

The  youth  of  Nicholas  was  passed  during  a  period 
in  which  all  the  energies  of  the  empire,  and  the 
attention  of  the  whole  nation,  were  absorbed  in  the 
great  struggles  connected  with  Napoleon's  career; 
and  hence  it  is  that  fewer  observations  were  then 
made,  and  afterward  preserved,  in  reference  to  the 
youthful  qualities  and  actions  of  the  future  czar. 
All  authorities,  however,  concur  in  stating,  that 
already  at  that  early  period,  Nicholas  exhibited  so 
strong  a  taste  for  military  studies  and  exercises, 
as  to  exclude  all  regard  or  interest  in  the  usual 
amusements  and  even  gratifications  of  youth.  In 
the  acquisition  of  modern  languages,  however,  he 
displayed  the  possession  of  a  strong  and  accurate 
memory.  But  as  for  the  rest,  he  seemed  to  be 
dry,  reserved,  and  unsocial  in  his  nature,  beyond 
the  usual  displays  of  even  princely  dignity. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  the  prince  commanded 
3* 


30  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

a  regiment  of  boys  of  his  own  age;  and  he  enjoyed 
no  amusement  so  intensely  as  the  exercise  of  train- 
ing them.  One  of  his  earliest  recollections  was  that 
of  terror;  for  he  was  present  with  his  mother,  in 
her  apartment,  when,  amid  a  clamour  and  commo- 
tion which  aroused  the  whole  palace,  Count  Pahlen 
rushed  into  the  empress's  presence,  beseeching  her 
not  to  be  alarmed,  and  locking  the  door  upon  her, 
exclaimed,  that  the  conspirators  were  only  dispatch- 
ing her  husband,  but  that  she  and  her  sons  were 
secure ! 

It  was  not  until  after  Alexander  I.  had  reigned  for 
some  years,  and  had  lost  all  hope  of  issue,  that  the 
probability  began  to  assume  clearness  and  import- 
ance that  Nicholas  might  succeed  him,  through  the 
refusal  of  his  elder  brother  Constautine  to  assume  the 
cares  and  perils  of  empire.  During  his  youth,  there- 
fore, the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas  passed  his  time  with- 
out particular  friends,  with  but  three  or  four  asso- 
ciates of  his  own  age,  and  chiefly  engaged  in  his 
military  studies  and  amusements.  The  persons 
whom  he  most  esteemed  were  Counts  BenkendorfF, 
Adlerberg,  and  Orloff;  and  after  he  became  em- 
peror, he  still  seemed  to  have  remained  attached  to 
them,  as  is  evinced  by  the  important  posts  with  which 
they  were  intrusted.  He  was  not  beloved  by  the 
court,  nor  by  the  army,  nor  by  the  people.  He  was 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  31 

less  cruel  than  the  Grand  Duke  Michael,  his  younger 
brother;  yet  he  did  not  possess  the  impulsive  gene- 
rosity of  the  latter,  which  induced  him,  after  he  had 
punished  the  objects  of  his  dislike  unjustly,  to  be 
equally  willing  to  make  ample  reparation  for  the  evil 
done,  when  the  moment  of  passion  had  passed  by. 

Neither  in  his  youth  nor  in  his  riper  years  was 
Nicholas  ever  known  to  relent,  to  apologize,  or  to 
forgive.  lie  was  silent,  thoughtful,  and  saturnine  in 
his  temperament.  Nor  did  he  ever  display  any  proofs 
of  superior  talent.  He  remained  during  his  whole 
life  enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  of  solemn  and 
severe  reserve,  of  haughty  and  unbending  self-im- 
portance. He  never  melted  down  to  sympathy. 
He  never  shed  a  tear.  Even  those  displays  of  popu- 
lar enthusiasm  which  custom  uniformly  bestowed 
on  the  members  of  the  imperial  family  wherever 
they  went,  he  frequently  received  without  conde- 
scending to  notice  them,  although  the  uniform  cus- 
tom of  the  imperial  family  was  to  return  the  salute. 

It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  the  youth  of 
such  a  man,  though  passed  in  the  midst  of  a  volup- 
tuous court  and  a  profligate  capital,  might  be  almost 
devoid  of  all  displays  of  romantic  attachment  or 
preferences.  Such  seems  in  a  great  measure  to 
have  been  the  case.  During  the  reign  of  his  brother 
Alexander  I.,  although  he  was  one  of  the  hand- 


82  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

somest  young  men  at  court, — though  his  high  birth 
and  his  lofty  expectations  would  have  rendered  con- 
quest easy,  and  insured  the  success  of  his  aspira- 
tions for  female  favour, — we  have  but  little  proof 
that  he  indulged  in  any  of  those  intrigues  $  amour  so 
prevalent  among  young  courtiers  of  his  age.  His 
constitution  appears  to  have  been  excessively  cold ; 
so  much  so  indeed,  that,  while  he  himself  remained 
free  from  any  female  attachment  or  licentious  indul- 
gences, he  was  utterly  unable  to  excite  the  admira- 
tion or  win  the  love,  of  any  of  the  fair  dames  who 
surrounded  him.  Said  one  of  the  most  fascinating 
women  of  the  court,  one  day:  "The  Grand  Duke 
Nicholas  belongs  to  the  imperial  circle ;  he  is  very 
handsome;  and  yet,  when  he  is  absent  from  the 
court  circle,  he  is  not  near  as  much  missed  as  is  his 
ugly  brother  Michael !"  There  are  indeed  some  on 
dits  repeated  in  the  court  respecting  his  supposed 
partiality  for  certain  married  ladies  of  easy  virtue 
at  this  period  of  his  life ;  but  all  of  them  are  so 
groundless,  so  unsupported  by  evidence  of  any  kind, 
and  are  so  entirely  inconsistent  with  his  whole 
character,  that  they  do  not  deserve  to  be  narrated 
in  any  record  of  the  life  of  Nicholas  which  pretends 
to  describe  only  that  which  is  authentic  and  reliable. 
About  the  year  1815,  when  Alexander,  having 
passed  the  meridian  of  life,  resigned  all  hopes  of 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  83 

having  children,  and  it  became  probable  that  Nicho- 
las might  become  his  successor,  the  latter,  for  the 
first  time,  entered  on  his  travels  throughout  Europe, 
in  order  to  enlarge  his  knowledge  of  the  world,  and 
"perfect  his  acquaintance  with  foreign  people  and 
governments. 

During  this  journey  Nicholas  visited  the  various 
cities  and  capitals  of  France,  Germany,  Austria, 
and  England.  He  regarded  with  special  interest 
all  the  celebrated  battle-fields  of  the  Continent,  and 
studied  with  the  zest  of  an  amateur,  those  various 
spots  which  had  been  incarnadined  by  human  gore, 
and  were  rendered  memorable  by  the  fierce  strug- 
gles and  vicissitudes  of  conflict.  He  was  received 
at  the  various  courts  which  he  visited  with  all  the 
consideration  due  to  his  exalted  rank.  His  splendid 
person  made  him  be  regarded  with  partiality  by  the 
fascinating  dames  who  graced  these  several  courts, 
and  whose  bright  eyes  beamed  on  him  with  unwonted 
lustre.  But  their  efforts  to  fascinate  the  youthful 
prince  of  the  mighty  and  frozen  North,  however 
desperate  and  consummate,  generally  proved  in  the 
end  to  be  useless.  After  several  years  spent  in 
travel,  Nicholas  again  returned  to  St.  Petersburg, 
and  immediately  resumed  his  usual  avocations  of 
military  study  and  practice  with  his  regiment.  He 
still  displayed  the  cold  and  reserved  qualities  of  his 


34  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

nature.  A  writer,  speaking  of  this  period  of  his 
life,  declares  that  at  the  frequent  review  of  the  Im- 
perial Guards,  at  which  Alexander  I.  and  his  brothers, 
the  grand  dukes,  were  present,  Alexander  and  Con- 
stantine  would  frequently  enter  into  conversation 
with  some  of  the  handsome  women  in  the  crowd. 
Nicholas  would  not  even  glance  at  them,  hut  would 
haughtily  ride  by  his  dallying  brothers  with  a  sneer 
which  plainly  indicated,  that  he  regarded  such  con- 
descension as  a  serions  disgrace  to  imperial  and 
grand-ducal  dignity.  During  this  period  of  his  life, 
the  chief  pursuit  of  Nicholas  was  his  devotion  to 
those  branches  of  knowledge  which  would  be  of 
most  essential  service  to  him  in  the  high  office  to 
which  his  future  destiny  now  seemed  to  designate 
him.  He  made  himself  familiar  with  geographical, 
statistical,  and  financial  sciences;  studied  carefully 
the  history  of  governments,  both  despotic  and  free, 
in  past  and  present  ages ;  and  thoroughly  learned  to 
comprehend  the  principles  and  the  machinery  of 
that  vast  empire,  over  whose  heterogenous  interests 
he  himself  might  soon  be  calted  to  rule.  He  was 
fully  conscious  of  the  difficulties  which  attended  that 
position,  and  industriously  prepared  himself  to  mas- 
ter them. 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  85 


CHAPTER  H. 

THE  MARRIAGE  OF  NICHOLAS  WITH  THE  PRINCESS  MARIA  CHARLOTTE 
OF  PRUSSIA — THE  ATTACHMENT  OF  NICHOLAS  TO  HER — APPEARANCE 
AND  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  PRINCESS — HER  SITUATION  AT  THE  COURT 
OF  ST.  PETERSBURG  —  PECULIARITIES  OF  NICHOLAS  WHILE  GRAND 
DUKE — HIS  RESIDENCE  AT  THE  ANITSHOFF  PALACE. 

THE  travels  of  the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas  through 
Europe  exercised  an  important  influence  on  his 
future  life.  It  was  while  visiting  the  court  of 
Berlin  that  he  became  acquainted  with  the  accom- 
plished Princess  Maria  Charlotte,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  the  former  King  of  Prussia. 

A  marriage  between  the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas  and 
this  princess  had  been  projected  some  time  before, 
by  Alexander  I.  The  alliance  between  Russia  and 
Prussia,  which  would  become  cemented  by  this 
union,  offered  great  advantages  to  both  countries. 
But  it  was  not  absolutely  determined  upon  until 
Nicholas,  by  a  personal  acquaintance  with  his  pro- 
posed spouse,  should  have  expressed  his  own  ap- 
proval of  the  match.  That  approval  quickly  followed 
his  interviews  with  her  during  his  visit  to  Berlin  in 
1816;  and  after  his  return  to  St.  Petersburg  the 


36  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

marriage  ceremonies  between  the  youthful  prince 
and  princess  were  celebrated.  This  event  occurred 
on  the  13th  July,  1817. 

According  to  the  requirements  of  the  Russian  law, 
the  princess  adopted  the  Greek  religion  upon  her 
arrival  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  with  it  she  assumed 
the  name  of  Alexandra  Feodorovna.  This  change 
of  her  religion  and  name  was  always  very  repugnant 
to  the  feelings  of  Frederick  William  HI.,  father  of 
the  princess,  who  continued  to  address  her  as  the 
Princess  Charlotte  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Notwithstanding  the  coldness  of  the  character  of 
Nicholas,  and  his  general  indifference  to  female 
charms,  this  marriage  seemed  to  be  the  source  of 
more  domestic  enjoyment  between  the  grand  duke 
and  his  wife  than  might  have  been  anticipated. 
The  reason  of  this  was  the  fact,  that  the  arch-, 
duchess  resembled  her  husband  so  much  in  cha- 
racter and  temper,  that  a  mutual  harmony  be- 
tween them  was  the  happy  result.  She  was  re- 
markable for  the  same  majesty  of  figure  which 
characterized  Nicholas.  She  possessed  the  same 
hauteur  and  reserve  of  manner,  and  the  same  for- 
mality and  stateliness  of  deportment,  which  he  dis- 
played. Even  in  her  youth,  her  mother,  the 
beautiful  but  unfortunate  Queen  Louisa  of  Prus- 
sia, thus  wrote  of  her  to  her  husband,  when  she 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  87 

was  but  ten  years  old:  "Charlotte  pleases  mo 
eveiy  day  more  and  more.  Though  she  is  not 
communicative,  but  is  close  and  reserved,  she  con- 
ceals, like  her  father,  under  a  cold  exterior,  a 
warm  heart.  In  appearance,  she  is  indifferent;  in 
reality,  she  is  affectionate  and  obliging.  I  am 
sure  she  is  destined  to  fill  a  brilliant  destiny  if  she 
lives." 

When  the  princess  arrived  in  St.  Petersburg,  the 
impression  produced  by  her  appearance  was  favour- 
able. By  the  side  of  some  of  the  blooming  beau- 
ties of  the  Russian  court,  her  complexion  appeared 
to  be  deficient  in  freshness,  and  her  form  in  plump- 
ness, according  to  the  taste  then  prevalent  in  the 
Northern  capital.  But  all  united  in  declaring  that 
her  features  were  handsome,  and  that  her  eyes  were 
expressive  and  fascinating.  Her  carriage  was  ex- 
ceedingly graceful,  and  her  form  majestic.  She 
was  remarkable  even  then,  and  for  many  years  of 
her  subsequent  life,  for  her  fondness  for  dancing, 
for  tight  lacing,  and  for  the  innocent,  though  de- 
bilitating, luxuries  of  aristocratic  life. 

The  situation  of  the  wife  of  Nicholas  on  her 
arrival,  and  during  the  first  years  of  her  residence 
at  St.  Petersburg,  was  not  as  agreeable  as  might 
have  been  desired.  Above  her,  in  a  superior  posi- 
tion of  consequence  and  authority,  were  both  the 


00  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

empress  and  the  empress-mother.  The  family  of 
the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  was  distracted  by 
domestic  disputes  between  him  and  his  grand 
duchess.  It  was  a  difficult  and  delicate  matter 
for  the  wife  of  Nicholas  to  determine  on  which 
side  of  this  exalted  quarrel  she  should  array  her- 
self. Her  husband,  at  that  time,  held  a  very 
subordinate  position  among  the  functions  and  pre- 
rogatives of  the  imperial  family;  for  he  was  never 
admitted  to  the  council  chamber,  where  great  ques- 
tions of  political  and  diplomatic  importance  were 
discussed  and  determined  on.  His  sphere  of  ope- 
ration was  limited  to  mere  garrison-service.  Dur- 
ing the  first  years  of  their  marriage,  Nicholas 
and  his  wife  held  as  little  intercourse  with  the 
court-circle  as  possible,  and  lived  a  somewhat  retired 
life  at  the  Anitshoff  Palace,  two  miles  distant  from 
St.  Petersburg,  The  habit  thus  acquired  of  being 
much  together,  was  a  prominent  cause  of  the  preva- 
lent opinion  that  great  attachment  existed  between 
them. 

One  year  after  his  marriage  Nicholas  became  a 
father ;  and  his  eldest  son,  Alexander  Nicolai  witch, 
the  present  czar,  was  born.  During  the  few  years 
which  were  spent  in  his  domestic  retirement  at 
the  palaces  of  Anitshoff,  Nicholas,  obtaining  clearer 
glimpses  of  the  more  exalted  destiny  which  proba- 


OF  NICHOLAS  TIIE   FIRST.  39 

bly  awaited  him  in  the  future,  endeavoured  to  im- 
prove his  mind  with  a  greater  familiarity  with  those 
branches  of  knowledge  which  would  become  of 
most  essential  service  to  him  on  the  throne.  In 
some  of  these  departments  he  was  much  deficient; 
and  the  occasion  of  improvement  thus  offered  was 
opportune.  In  1819,  the  Grand  Duchess  Maria,  his 
first  daughter,  was  born.  She  afterwards  became 
the  Duchess  of  Leuchtenburg. 

Already,  at  this  early  period,  the  peculiar  stern- 
ness and  severity  of  the  countenance  of  Nicholas 
had  become  marked  and  confirmed.  A  writer — 
speaking  of  him  as  grand  duke,  and  before  the 
succession  to  the  throne  had  been  settled — says, 
that  the  usual  expression  of  his  countenance  was 
severe,  even  to  misanthropy;  that  he  smiled  only 
through  courtesy,  never  from  good-nature.  All  his 
words  were  measured,  as  if  set  to  music.  In  the 
tone  of  his  voice,  and  in  his  utterance,  it  was  clear 
that  he  spoke  not  from  conviction,  but  through  dis- 
simulation ;  and  that  he  seemed  to  act  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  the  concealment  of  his  thoughts  and 
purposes  was  the  highest  sagacity  and  wisdom.  To 
some  degree,  his  august  spouse  emulated  the  same 
qualities  and  appearances. 

During  his  residence  at  the  Anitshoff  Palace, 
Nicholas  devoted  himself  particularly  to  the  study 


40  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

of  the  science  of  engineering ;  and  he  possessed  the 
reputation  of  having  been  skilled  in  its  most  intri- 
cate principles.  But  it  is  doubtful  whether  this 
reputation  was  deserved,  from  the  fact  that,  at  the 
grand  reviews  which  were  frequently  held  in  the 
environs  of  St.  Petersburg,  when  he  commanded  a 
portion  of  the  troops,  he  was  often  out-man ceuvred 
and  surrounded  by  the  opposing  party.  So  fre- 
quently had  this  occurred,  that  at  length  he-  re- 
fused to  take  a  part  of  the  command  on  these 
occasions.  It  is  also  said  that,  on  one  occasion, 
when  he  was  inspecting  some  experiments  of  the 
ordnance  at  Cronstadt,  and  he  presumed  to  give  an 
opinion  on  the  subject,  he  was  so  far  in  error,  that 
an  old  general  of  artillery  who  was  with  him, 
boldly  replied,  "Your  Highness  knows  nothing 
about  it  1" 

And  even  after  he  became  emperor,  in  all  mat- 
ters of  intricate  detail,  which  involved  technicali- 
ties, he  uniformly  deferred  to  the  wiser  judgment 
of  Nesselrode,  Cancrin,  Volkonsky,  and  other  mi- 
nisters, as  being  more  competent  than  himself. 
His  opinions  at  this  period  respecting  the  partial 
reforms  which  the  Emperor  Alexander  attempted 
then  to  introduce  into  Russia,  were,  that  it  was 
unwise  and  unsafe  to  adopt  new  systems  without  a 
proper  basis  and  consistency.  Even  at  this  early 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  41 

period  lie  is  said  to  have  formed  the  deliberate  con- 
viction that  it  was  impossible  to  remodel  Russia 
and  her  government,  into  any  harmony  with  the 
ideas  of  progress  which  have  been  gradually  ad- 
vancing throughout  Europe  during  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  thought  that  the  only  proper  sphere 
for  the  activity  of  the  supreme  head  of  that  vast 
empire,  which  extended  over  one-seventh  of  the 
whole  earth,  was  the  improvement  of  the  adminis- 
trative departments  of  justice  and  the  police,  and 
the  slow  and  safe  enlargement  of  her  territory,  by 
the  combined  arts  of  war  and  of  diplomacy. 


42  TIIE    LIFE    AXD    REIGN 


CHAPTER  HI. 

RESERVED  HABITS  OF  THE    GEAND    DUKE  NICHOLAS — ANECDOTE  OF  HIS 

VISIT    TO    BERLIN THE     PARISIAN     DANDY    AND    NICHOLAS    AT    ST. 

PETERSBURG — PURSUITS    OF    NICHOLAS   AT   THIS    PERIOD HIS   ASSO- 
CIATES AND  ATTENDANTS. 

DURING  the  residence  of  Nicholas  at  the  Anitshoff 
Palace,  which  comprised  the  period  which  inter- 
vened between  his  marriage  and  his  accession,  his 
usual  habits  of  life  were  as  follows.  He  rose  at  an 
early  hour,  and  first  took  a  short  walk.  On  his  re- 
turn, he  immediately  began  the  business  of  the  day. 
In  his  study  he  exhibited  the  greatest  order;  the 
furniture  was  elegant,  without  the  least  trace  of  use- 
less ornament;  and  the  walls  were  adorned  only  with 
pictures  of  regimental  costumes.  Nor  need  we 
wonder  at  this,  when  we  remember  that,  through  the 
influence  of  a  perverted  education,  he  himself  so 
highly  esteemed  the  importance  of  the  military 
appearance  and  elegance  of  style,  as  to  habituate 
himself  to  such  tight  lacing  as  often  to  cause  him 
to  faint  when  ungirthing  to  retire  to  sleep. 

Nicholas  was  fond   of  good  living,   but  drank 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  43 

moderately.  During  the  course  of  the  day  he 
gave  his  entire  attention  to  all  the  matters  of  busi  • 
ness  which  were  brought  before  him.  His  only 
amusements  were  a  game  of  cards  occasionally  be- 
tween tea  and  bedtime,  with  the  members  of  his 
family. 

Several  years  after  his  marriage,  his  wife,  the 
late  empress,  visited  her  father  at  Berlin.  Nicholas 
was  detained,  after  her  departure,  for  two  days. 
Being  then  at  leisure,  he  travelled  post,  incognito, 
and  arrived  at  the  palace  in  Berlin  an  hour  be- 
fore his  wife,  and  thus  afforded  her  an  agree- 
able surprise.  The  Marquis  de  Custin  affirms  that 
Nicholas  forgot  his  majesty,  only  in  the  bosom 
of  his  family,  where  he  was  reminded  that  man  has 
his  happiness  independent  of  state  duties.  That 
stern  nature  could  sometimes  descend  to  the  dis- 
play of  the  common  sympathies  of  humanity.  His 
treatment  of  his  sons  was  exceedingly  cold  and 
serious ;  that  of  his  daughters,  chivalrous  and 
polite.  If  he  loved  any  one  at  all,  it  was  his 
wife.  Two  anecdotes  remain  as  solitary  proofs  of 
this  attachment,  which  must  be  carefully  preserved. 
The  first  is,  that  at  the  time  of  his  visit  with  her 
to  Naples,  in  1847,  her  health  being  very  feeble,  he 
used  to  carry  her  up-stairs  from  her  carriage  to 
her  chamber,  in  his  arms.  The  second  is,  that 


44  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

when,  in  1836,  the  "Winter  Palace  was  burnt,  being 
informed  that  the  fire  was  approaching  his  private 
cabinet,  and  when  asked  what  he  wished  to  be  saved 
in  it,  he  answered:  "Only  my  portfolio;  nothing 
else."  It  contained  the  letters  of  the  empress,  which 
she  wrote  to  him  during  their  engagement. 

Whenever  an  opportunity  occurred  for  him  to 
favour  the  grand  duchess  with  a  new  diversion  or 
surprise,  he  seemed  to  have  been  disposed  to  em- 
brace it.  Thus,  on  one  occasion,  in  riding  along 
the  streets  of  the  capital,  he  saw  a  young  noble- 
man, named  Yakovloff,  promenading,  and  dressed 
in  the  utmost  extreme  of  Parisian  foppery.  On 
his  head  was  a  small  peaked  hat,  resembling  a 
flower-pot  reversed;  a  handkerchief  was  tied  around 
his  neck,  of  flaming  colour,  and  with  a  gigantic 
bow;  a  cloak  no  larger  than  a  cape  was  thrown 
over  his  shoulders;  his  chin  was  decorated  with 
a  beard  trimmed  ct,  la  Henri  Qiiatre;  he  carried 
an  immense  knotted  club  in  his  hand;  a  glass 
was  stuck  in  one  corner  of  his  eye,  to  which 
was  attached  a  very  broad  black  ribbon ;  and  a 
fierce-looking  bull-dog  followed  at  his  heels. 

As  Nicholas  rode  by,  he  stopped,  and  address- 
ing the  dandy,  said,  "In  God's  name,  who  are 
you?"  He  answered,  "Please  your  Highness,  my 
name  is  Save  Savietch  Yakovloff."  "Indeed! 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  45 

Save  Savietch,  I'm  delighted  to  make  your  ac- 
quaintance; just  step  up  and  take  a  seat  here 
beside  me."  The  dandy  dropped  his  club,  and 
began  to  enter  the  carriage.  "Oh  no!"  said 
Nicholas;  "Save  Savietch,  pick  up  your  club." 
He  complied,  and  they  rode  directly  to  the  imperial 
palace.  Save  Savietch,  on  entering,  began  to  divest 
himself  of  his  hat  and  cloak.  "Don't  do  that,'' 
said  Nicholas;  "come  on  just  as  you  are.  Pray, 
my  dear,"  said  he  to  the  grand  duchess,  "do  you 
know  this  animal?"  "No,"  replied  she,  bursting 
into  a  fit  of  laughter.  "  Then  allow  me  to  inform 
you  that  this  is  Save  Savietch  Yakovloff.  "What 
do  you  think  of  him?  Is  he  not  a  pretty  fellow?" 
The  beau,  half  dead  with  shame  and  terror,  begged 
permission  to  retire,  and  no  more  appeared  in  his 
outrt  costume  on  the  NeiFsky-Prospect — the  Broad- 
way of  St.  Petersburg. 

Already  at  this  period  of  his  life,  the  Grand  Duke 
Nicholas  exhibited  remarkable  qualities  both  of 
mind  and  person.  His  figure  is  represented  as 
having  been  most  majestic  in  form  and  perfect  in 
proportion.  His  countenance,  though  his  features 
were  regular  and  handsome,  was  marked  by  an 
expression  of  great  severity,  and  even  of  misan- 
thropy. His  smile  was  only  that  of  courtesy,  never 
that  of  pleasure  or  emotion ;  every  word  and  ges- 


46  THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

ture  was  formal,  stiff,  and  measured.  Yet  he  spoke 
with  animation  and  simplicity.  The  observer,  felt 
that  the  prince's  heart  was  hermetically  sealed 
against  every  approach  of  feeling,  and  that  his 
thoughts  were  concealed  by  an  impenetrable  veil 
of  mystery. 

Nicholas  at  this  period  read  considerably,  and  he 
possessed  the  power  of  concentrating  his  faculties 
in  an  extraordinary  degree.  As  his  son  Alexander 
grew  in  years,  he  devoted  considerable  attention  to 
his  education ;  though  his  training  was  scientific  to 
so  great  a  degree  that  he  was  allowed  little  leisure 
for  the  belles-lettres.  A  writer  of  eminence,  speak- 
ing of  Nicholas  at  this  period,  says:  "If  the  grand 
duke  ascends  the  throne,  he  will  be  served  with 
zeal;  for  though  he  will  not,  like  Henri  Quatre, 
win  the  hearts  of  his  servants  and  subjects,  yet  they 
will  take  pride  in  serving  a  prince,  who,  to  the  im- 
press of  majesty  bestowed  on  him  by  nature,  adds 
that  of  superior  intelligence  and  sagacity." 

At  this  period  the  grand  duchess,  his  wife, 
possessed  a  majestic  air  and  figure,  with  pleasing 
and  regular  features.  Her  eye  was  piercing  and 
haughty ;  but  when  she  became  animated,  that  dis- 
agreeable expression  passed  away,  and  she  seemed 
again  the  daughter  of  the  adored  Louisa,  Queen 
of  Prussia;  and  the  artificial  repulsiveness  of  the 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIKST.  47 

princess,  was  lost  in  the  attractive  sweetness  of  the 
woman. 

The  suite  of  Nicholas  at  this  period  included  in 
its  number  the  Count  de  Modena,  and  the  Prin- 
cess Volkonski,  the  latter  of  whom  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  court  for  the  extraordinary  period 
of  fifty  years.  The  grand  duchess  was  also  at- 
tended by  the  Princess  Catherine  Soltikoff,  the  wife 
of  Prince  Sergius  Soltikoff,  a  member  of  the  Im- 
perial Council. 


48  THE   LIFE    AND   REIQN 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DISASTERS  OF  THE  LAST  YEAR  OP  THE  REIGN  OF  ALEXANDER  I. — IN- 
UNDATION OF  THE  NEVA  AT  ST.  PETERSBURG INTRIGUE  OF  ALEX- 
ANDER I.  WITH  MADAME  SOPHIA  K. HER  UNFAITHFULNESS  TO  HIM 

THE    DEATH    OF    HIS     ILLEGITIMATE     DAUGHTER HIS     HEALTH     IS 

AFFECTED  —  HE  DETERMINES  TO  VISIT  THE  CRIMEA  —  SECRET  CON- 
SPIRACIES THROUGHOUT  RUSSIA  AGAINST  ALEXANDER — HIS  DEATH 
AT  TAGANROG. 

THE  last  year  of  the  life  of  Alexander  I.  was 
one  of  gloom  and  misfortune  to  that  monarch; 
and  the  darkness  grew  thicker  around  him,  until 
death,  released  him  from  a  life  which  had  now  lost 
every  charm  and  attraction. 

Early  in  the  year  1824,  St.  Petersburg  was  visited 
by  a  terrible  inundation  of  the  Neva.  The  mouth 
of  this  river,  opening  westward  into  the  Gulf  of 
Finland,  is  exposed  to  the  violent  storms  which  ac- 
company the  autumnal  equinox.  On  the  19th  of 
November,  a  furious  hurricane,  blowing  from  the 
west  and  southwest,  forced  the  waters  of  the  Neva 
and  of  the  Gulf  to  such  a  prodigious  height,  that 
nearly  the  whole  city  of  St.  Petersburg  was  sub- 
merged beneath  the  waves.  The  ruin  and  deso- 


OP   NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  40 

lation  which  ensued  can  scarcely  be  conceived. 
From  hour  to  hour  the  loud  booming  of  the  can- 
non of  the  Admiralty  announced  to  the  terrified 
inhabitants,  the  continual  rising  of  the  flood. 
Bridges  were  torn  up ;  wooden  houses  were  drifted 
away,  some  still  filled  with  their  inhabitants;  and 
vessels  sunk  under  the  weight  of  the  despairing 
multitudes  which  overcrowded  them.  The  loss  of 
life  and  property  was  immense.  Thousands  of  per- 
sons who  escaped  immediate  death  were  deprived 
of  their  property,  and  ruined.  These  disasters  pro- 
duced a  melancholy  effect  on  the  mind  of  Alex- 
ander. He  displayed  his  sympathy  with  the 
unfortunate,  by  subscribing  a  million  of  rubles 
toward  the  alleviation  of  the  sufferings  of  those 
who  had  been  the  victims  of  the  calamity. 

But  distress  of  a  more  personal  and  painful  cha- 
racter befell  the  emperor,  in  this  last  year  of  his 
life.  Between  himself  and  his  wife,  the  Empress 
Elizabeth,  there  had,  for  some  years,  existed  a  de- 
gree of  coldness  which  had  banished  all  domestic 
joys  from  the  imperial  circle.  He  had  been  mar- 
ried to  her  in  1779,  at  sixteen  years  of  age ;  and 
though  the  empress  possessed  beauty  of  person  and 
amiability  of  temper,  the  inconstant  mind  of  Alex- 
ander had  long  been  seduced  from  its  allegiance  by 
other  less  virtuous  and  more  mercenary  charms. 


50  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

One  of  his  various  amours  lasted  for  nine  years. 
This  was  with  Madame  Sophia  K.,  a  person  of  great 
beauty,  intelligence,  and  attractiveness  of  manner. 
By  her  Alexander  had  three  children.  Two  of 
these  died  in  their  youth;  and  the  third,  a  child 
of  unusual  amiability  and  sweetness,  had,  at  this 
period,  arrived  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  had 
become  the  highest  joy  and  delight  of  her  father's 
existence. 

In  the  year  1824,  Alexander  was  destined  to  ex- 
perience the  faithlessness  of  his  beautiful  mistress, 
and  to  behold  the  death  of  his  cherished  offspring. 
The  latter  had  formed  a  connection  with  a  young 
nobleman  of  excellent  character,  and  their  marriage 
was  soon  to  be  celebrated,  with  the  approbation 
of  the  emperor.  But  on  the  very  day  on  which 
the  magnificent  trousseau  intended  for  the  bride 
arrived  from  Paris,  she  expired  in  the  arms  of  her 
afflicted  father.  Gazing  upon  her  inanimate  corpse, 
he  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  with  agony,  "  I  now 
receive  the  reward  of  my  deeds !" 

During  this  long  series  of  erratic  indulgences  on 
the  part  of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  his  wife  had 
remained  shut  up  in  comparative  obscurity  and 
gloomy  solitude  at  the  palace  of  Czarsko-Selo,  lite- 
rally, the  heaven  of  the  czar,  situated  near  St.  Peters- 
burg. Early  in  the  year  1825,  her  health  was  seri- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  51 

ously  affected  by  her  silent  sorrows;  and,  by  the 
advice  of  her  physicians,  it  was  thought  necessary 
to  try  the  effect  of  a  warmer  climate,  as  that  of  St. 
Petersburg  was  particularly  severe. 

Alexander  acquiesced  in  this  purpose,  and  a  re- 
sidence at  Taganrog,  in  the  Crimea — the  southern 
portion  of  the  Russian  dominions — was  resolved 
upon.  He  preceded  the  empress,  and  arrived  at 
Taganrog  ten  days  before  her.  He  employed  this 
interval  in  making  every  possible  preparation  for 
the  comfort  of  the  invalid.  Good  feeling  seemed 
to  have  been  restored  between  the  imperial  pair 
by  their  mutual  sufferings.  "The  emperor  was  ac- 
companied by  Prince  Volkonski,  one  of  the  friends 
of  His  youth,  by  General  Diebitsch,  his  aide-de- 
camp,  and  by  Sir  James  "Wylie,  who  was  head  of 
the  medical  department  of  the  Russian  army. 

The  czar  diverted  his  leisure  by  making  excur- 
sions in  different  portions  of  his  dominions.  The 
health  of  the  empress  had  much  improved  by  the 
change  of  scene,  and  still  more,  from  the  renewed 
attachment  to  her  displayed  by  her  husband.  But 
suddenly  the  health  of  the  latter  began  to  be  af- 
fected. He  suffered  from  a  mysterious  disease  in 
his  bowels.  .He  refused  for  a  long  time  to  take 
any  medical  remedies;  and  his  malady  finally  re- 
sulted in  death,  on  the  1st  of  December,  1825.  His 


52  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

death  was  attributed  to  poison ;  and  that  there  was 
some  show  of  probability  in  this  supposition,  will 
appear  from  the  following  circumstances. 

In  the  year  1820,  Alexander  I.  had  expressed 
liberal  sentiments  on  behalf  of  Poland,  which  were 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  great  benevolence  of 
his  character.  In  1823,  it  was  discovered  that 
secret  societies  had  been  formed,  in  various  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  to  advance  the  cause  of  liberty. 
Many  of  these  had  been  established  even  in  Rus- 
sia; and  their  object  was  to  effect  a  revolution, 
which  would  result  in  the  establishment  of  a  con- 
stitutional and  limited  monarchy.  In  1823,  the 
principal  members  of  these  societies  in  Russia  had 
been  arrested  and  punished;  but,  of  course,  the 
germs  of  revolt  were  not,  and  could  not  be,  extir- 
minated.  They  slowly  grew  in  secret  power.  By 
the  year  1825,  the  conspiracy  had  extended  its 
ramifications  throughout  all  Russia,  and  even  many 
servants  of  the  government  were  secretly  attached 
to  it.  On  the  22d  of  November,  the  Count  de 
Witt,  one  of  his  most  confidential  friends,  brought 
the  emperor  information,  which  convinced  him — of 
what  he  had  long  been  suspicious — that  the  murder 
of  the  sovereign  was  a  portion  of  the  plan  of  the 
conspirators.  From  that  moment  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  terror.  He  had  been  informed  that 


OP  NICHOLAS   TUE   FIRST.  53 

Colonel  Pestel,  a  brother-in-law  of  Arnold!,  a 
major-general  of  artillery  at  Taganrog,  was  the  con- 
spirator to  whom  had  been  intrusted  the  task  of 
dispatching  him  by  poison.  Several  weeks  pre- 
vious to  this  revelation,  Alexander  had  begun  to 
suffer  from  the  mysterious  fever  which  then  af- 
flicted him.  "What  the  czar's  own  opinion  was,  in 
reference  to  his  disease,  is  apparent  from  the  ex- 
clamations which  he  uttered :  "  The  monsters !  the 
ungrateful  monsters !  I  desired  nothing  but  their 
happiness."  Medical  assistance,  when  accepted, 
came  too  late.  Alexander  I.  expired  at  Taganrog, 
the  victim  of  the  revolutionary  conspiracy  which, 
having  its  origin  in  1820,  in  the  Diet  of  Warsaw, 
had  gradually  extended  over  a  large  portion  of  Po- 
land and  Russia.  Alexander  had  met  the  fate  of 
Ivan  Antonovitch,  of  Peter  HL,  and  of  Paul  I.  It 
was  proved,  upon  the  trials  which  followed  Alex- 
ander's death,  that  had  the  poisoned  cup  failed  in 
its  task,  the  assassin's  dagger  would  have  then 
achieved  the  same  desperate  result. 


6* 


•54  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  V. 

MKMBEBS  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY — SOLEMN  SCENE  AT  ST.  PETERS- 
BURG  EFFECT  OF  THE  NEWS  OF  ALEXANDER'S  DEATH THE  MYSTE- 
RIOUS PACKET — NICHOLAS  DECLINES  THE  THRONE — THE  GRAND  DUKE 
CONSTANTINE  REFUSES  THE  SUCCESSION — THE  LETTER  OF  CONSTAN- 
TINE  ON  THE  SUCCESSION  IN  FAVOUR  OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE  NICHOLAS. 

ALEXANDER  I.  left  three  brothers:  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantine,  born  in  1779 ;  the  Grand  Duke 
Nicholas,  born  in  1796 ;  and  the  Grand  Duke 
Michael,  born  in  1798.  According  to  the  esta- 
blished law  of  succession  in  Russia,  Constantine 
was,  beyond  all  question,  the  legitimate  heir  to 
the  throne.  Hence,  during  the  lifetime  of  Alex- 
ander, he  was  always  designated  by  the  title  of 
Czarevitch. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  1825,  a  solemn  and 
impressive  scene  was  enacted  in  St.  Petersburg. 
The  Empress  Elizabeth  had  written  a  letter  from 
Taganrog  to  the  Archduke  Nicholas,  informing  him 
of  the  favourable  change  which  had  taken  place, 
on  the  29th  of  November,  in  Alexander's  health. 
The  news  was  communicated  by  bulletins  to  the 
populace,  and  an  immense  multitude  assembled 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  5o 

.n  the  great  church  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  to 
unite  in  the  service  of  thanks  which  was  about 
to  be  offered,  for  the  improved  condition  of  their 
adored  monarch.  The  court  was  present,  and  the 
whole  scene  was  one  of  extraordinary  magnificence. 
The  vast  edifice  was  crowded  with  the  rejoicing 
multitude ;  seraphic  music  echoed  sublimely  through 
the  lofty  arches  and  domes  of  the  temple ;  while  the 
services  at  the  altar  were  conducted  by  the  Archi- 
mandrid  himself,  with  great  pomp  and  splendour. 
At  this  moment  a  special  messenger  arrived  at 
the  gates  of  the  church,  bearing  sealed  despatches 
for  the  Archduke  Nicholas,  which  he  had  conveyed 
four  hundred  and  seventy-five  leagues  in  eight 
days.  Nicholas  received  and  opened  the  letter.  It 
was  written  by  Prince  Yolkonsky ;  and  it  informed 
him  of  the  death  of  the  czar.  Nicholas  immediately 
subdued  his  feelings;  and  advancing  toward  the 
Archimandrid  at  the  high  altar,  with  an  air  of 
deep  affliction,  desired  him  to  stop  the  chanting. 
He  then  informed  him  of  the  sad  intelligence  of 
Alexander's  death,  and  requested  him  to  commu- 
nicate it  to  the  mother  of  the  deceased,  then  pre- 
sent with  the  court.  The  priest  obeyed.  The  mul- 
titude gazed  with,  surprise  and  apprehension  at 
this  sudden  interruption  of  their  joyful  services. 
The  Archimandrid,  ascending  the  high  altar,  took 


56  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

a  crucifix  in  his  hand,  covered  it  with  black  crape, 
and  then  solemnly  and  submissively  approached  the 
empress.  Said  he  to  her,  amid  the  deep  silence, 
"Man  must  submit  to  the  decrees  of  Providence." 
The  empress-mother  immediately  understood  him, 
and  fell  senseless  into  the  arms  of  her  attending 
ladies.  The  assemblage  was  dismissed  amid  pro- 
found and  universal  sorrow. 

As  soon  as  the  empress-mother  had  recovered 
her  senses,  a  long  and  secret  interview  took  place 
between  her  and  Nicholas.  The  next  day  the 
Senate  were  assembled;  and  Nicholas,  proceeding 
to  their  hall,  was  about  to  take  the  oath  of  fidelity 
to  his  elder  brother,  Constantine,  as  the  legitimate 
heir  to  the  throne  by  right  of  primogeniture,  and 
to  issue  a  command  to  the  whole  empire  to  follow 
his  example.  But  here,  an  important  difficulty 
presented  itself.  Alexander  had  left  a  packet  with 
the  Senate,  on  his  last  departure  from  St.  Peters- 
burg, with  orders  that  in  case  he  died  during  his 
absence,  it  should  be  immediately  opened  on  their 
receiving  the  intelligence  of  his  dissolution.  They 
now  proceeded  to  perform  that  duty.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  Prince  Lapoukin,  broke  open 
the  seal.  The  packet  contained  a  manifesto,  signed 
by  Alexander  himself,  dated  16th  August,  1823 ; 
together  with  two  other  documents,  dated  eighteen 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  5 

months  earlier.  One  of  these  papers  was  a  letter 
from  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  to  Alexander 
I.,  written  at  St.  Petersburg  on  the  14th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1822,  containing  a  resignation  of  his  rights  as 
heir  to  the  throne,  and  a  request  that  Alexander 
would  appoint  Nicholas  as  his  successor.  He  also 
intimated  that  he  had  previously  announced  his 
determination  not  to  reign,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
divorce  from  his  first  wife. 

The  second  paper  was  the  answer  of  Alexander 
to  this  letter,  dated  the  2d  of  February,  1822,  con- 
taining the  acceptance  of  his  resignation. 

The  third  document  was  a  manifesto  of  Alexan- 
der himself.  It  contained  the  acknowledgment  of 
Nicholas  as  his  successor  to  the  throne,  as  being 
the  next  legitimate  inheritor,  after  the  resignation 
of  the  heir  presumptive,  Constantine.  He  con- 
cluded by  saying  that  the  welfare  of  his  subjects 
had  ever  been  his  only  care,  and  he  asked  their 
prayers  for  his  eternal  salvation. 

Nicholas  is  charged  with  duplicity,  since,  under 
these  circumstances,  he  proclaimed  his  brother  Con- 
stantine the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias ;  for  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  he  remained  for  three  years  ignorant 
of  the  exalted  and  responsible  destiny  which  had 
awaited  him.  The  Senate  were  about  to  offer  him 
their  homage  as  emperor;  but  Nicholas  would 


68  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

not  allow  them  to  proceed.  "I  am  not  emperor," 
said  he,  "  and  wish  not  to  hecome  so,  to  the  detri- 
ment of  my  elder  brother.  If,  maintaining  his 
resignation,  he  persists  in  making  this  sacrifice  of 
his  rights,  then,  and  then  only,  will  I  accept  the 
throne." 

The  Senate,  however,  was  not  yet  convinced. 
They  knew  that  an  interregnum  would  be  perilous 
in  the  extreme ;  that  probably  a  revolt  would  take 
place;  and  they  again  replied  to  the  grand  duke, 
"  You  are  our  emperor ;  we  owe  you  absolute  obe- 
dience; if  you  order  us  to  recognise  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantine  as  our  sovereign,  it  is  then  our 
duty  to  obey  you."  The  Council  of  the  empire 
concurred  with  the  Senate ;  and  by  both  of  them 
Constantine"  was  then  proclaimed  the  successor  of 
Alexander  I.  The  Holy  Synod  offered  no  opposi- 
{  tion;  and  thus  the  influence  of  the  church  was 
added  to  the  succession  thus  announced.  During 
the  10th,  all  the  regiments  of  the  guards  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  Constantine,  in  the  great 
square  before  the  Winter  Palace. 

It  is  proper  that  we  should  here  state  the  rea- 
sons why  Constantine  had  renounced  his  rights  to 
the  throne,  in  the  first  instance,  at  the  time  of  his 
divorce. 

At  an  early  period  of  life  he  had  married  Ju- 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  59 

lienne,  Princess  of  Saxe-Coburg.  This  match  had 
been  brought  about  by  the  influence  of  his 'grand- 
mother, Catherine  II.  No  children  had  ever  blessed 
their  union,  which  had  been  an  unhappy  one  from 
the  beginning.  At  the  expiration  of  four  years,  a 
separation  took  place  between  them  by  mutual 
consent,  and  the  grand  duchess  returned  to  her 
native  country.  Constantino  subsequently  became 
very  promiscuous  in  his  amours ;  but  about  twenty 
years  after  his  separation  from  his  wife,  he  became 
attached  to  a  Polish  lady  of  great  beauty  and 
attractive  temper.  So  powerful  was  the  fascination 
which  she  exercised  over  his  usually  stern  and 
rocky  nature,  that  he  desired  to  marry  her.  Jane 
Grudziuska  was  every  way  worthy  of  this  romantic 
love,  possessing  every  charm  and  grace  of  female 
character  and  person.  But,  to  marry  her,  the  grand 
duke  must  be  divorced ;  and  to  be  divorced,  he  must 
resign  his  claims  to  the  throne,  in  consequence  of 
the  rigid  laws  of  the  Greek  Church  respecting 
divorce ;  and  because  it  would  have  been  impossi- 
ble for  his  intended  wife,  who  was,  and  remained, 
a  devout  Catholic,  to  have  ever  occupied  the  throne 
with  him,  since  the  fundamental  laws  of  the  Rus- 
sian Empire  required  the  imperial  consort  to  pro- 
fess and  observe  the  Greek  religion. 

There  was,  indeed,  much  in  Constantino's  cha- 


GO  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

racter  to  induce  the  nation  to  tremble  at  the 
thought  of  his  succeeding  to  the  throne.  He  was 
eccentric,  impetuous,  cruel,  and  passionate,  in  an 
extraordinary  degree.  His  manners  were  exceed- 
ingly coarse,  and  even  ferocious.  He  resembled 
his  father  Paul  much  more,  than  did  any  other  of 
his  children,  both  in  the  crazy  eccentricities  of  his 
conduct,  and  in  the  repulsive  ugliness  of  his  person. 
In  his  youth,  he  had  been  licentious  and  turbulent ; 
in  his  riper  years,  he  had  been  cruel  and  savage. 
One  of  the  most  remarkable  things  recorded  in  his- 
tory is,  that  such  a  nature  could  have  been  tamed 
and  subdued  by  any  being,  and  especially  by  one 
so  amiable  and  gentle,  as  his  second  wife  is  repre- 
sented to  have  been.  For  the  amazing  love  which 
he  bore  to  her — a  love  which  did  not  wane  in  its 
intensity  while  life  endured,  but  remained  strangely 
constant  until  his  death  in  1830, — for  this  he  sacri- 
ficed the  brilliant  throne  of  Russia ;  and  thus  added 
to  the  singularity  of  an  attachment  which,  in  the 
case  of  such  a  man,  has  scarcely  a  parallel  in  the 
annals  either  of  romance  or  of  verity. 

But  while  the  accession  of  Constantine  was  re- 
garded by  the  nation  with  terror,  that  of  Nicholas 
was  looked  upon  with  indifference.  The  people 
feared  and  dreaded  the  one;  they  were  in  igno- 
rance of  the  character  of  the  other.  He  was  known 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  61 

to  be  a  severe  disciplinarian  in  the  army,  and  that 
he  was  fond  of  visiting  the  barracks  and  guard- 
houses to  enforce  that  discipline. 

The  reasons  assigned  by  Nicholas  for  refusing  to 
accept  the  crown,  when  it  was  first  offered  to  him, 
seem  to  have  been  reasonable.  "We  had  not,"  he 
declared,  in  his  subsequent  manifesto,  "the  right 
to  consider  as  irrevocable  a  renunciation  which, 
though  made,  had  never  been  proclaimed,  and  had 
not  therefore  passed  into  a  law.  We  wished  to 
show  our  respect  for  the  fundamental  regulations 
of  our  country  respecting  the  order  of  succession  to 
the  throne,  and  to  save  our  beloved  country  from  a 
moment's  uncertainty  as  to  the  person  of  her  legiti- 
mate sovereign.  This  resolution  received  the  appro- 
bation of  our  beloved  mother,  the  Empress  Maria." 

The  Grand  Duke  Constantine  having  been  regu- 
larly proclaimed  emperor  by  all  the  constituted 
powers  of  the  state,  he  was,  in  fact,  the  czar  during 
an  apparent  interregnum  of  three  weeks.  It  is  a 
question  of  interest  to  consider,  what  would  have 
been  the  course  taken  by  Nicholas,  had  Constan- 
tine, at  this*  juncture,  chosen  to  revoke  his  resigna- 
tion and  reclaim  the  throne  thus  left  without  an 
owner.  But  little  doubt,  however,  attends  this 
inquiry,  inasmuch  as  the  conduct  of  Nicholas 
during  this  interval  of  uncertainty  and  suspense 


62  THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

was  dictated  by  honour  and  honesty  of  purpose. 
He  refused  to  be  proclaimed,  and  held  that  his 
brother  might  still  reconsider  his  resignation.  He 
desired  to  give  him  the  amplest  time  so  to  do ;  he 
refused  to  expedite  proceedings  in  any  way ;  and  it 
it  is  very  clear  that,  had  Constantine  relented,  and 
changed  his  purpose  of  abdication,  Nicholas  would 
have  at  once  acquiesced  with  a  good  grace,  and  re- 
tired, without  a  regret,  into  his  more  private  posi- 
tion. 

This,  however,  was  destined  not  to  be.  On  the 
8th  of  December,  1825,  the  Grand  Duke  Constan- 
tine addressed  a  letter  from  Warsaw  to  the  empress- 
mother,  in  which,  after  deploring,  in  suitable  terms 
of  condolence,  their  common  loss  and  affliction,  he 
proceeded  to  speak  of  the  succession.  He  referred 
to  the  fact  that  he  had  formerly  resigned  his  rights 
as  heir-apparent  at  the  period  of  his  second  mar- 
riage; and  he  concluded  by  saying :  "Having  thus 
expressed  my  sentiments,  which  are  unchangeable, 
I  cast  myself  at  the  feet  of  your  imperial  majesty, 
praying  you  to  honour  with  your  acceptance  my 
present  letter."  He  also,  at  the  same  time,  com- 
municated to  his  brother  Nicholas  his  fixed  inten- 
tion not  to  accept  the  throne;  and,  tendering  to 
him  his  oath  of  fidelity  and  subjection,  as  his  first 
and  greatest  subject,  he  said:  "Your  imperial  ma- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  63 

jesty  will  make  me  happy  by  deigning  to  accept 
the  sentiments  of  my  veneration  and  of  my  un- 
bounded devotion,  the  pledge  for  which  may  be 
found  in  the  thirty  years'  faithful  service  which  I 
have  rendered  to  their  imperial  majesties  deceased, 
of  revered  memory,  our  father  and  brother.  The 
same  sentiments  which  have  animated  me  toward 
them  will  not  cease  to  fill  my  mind  also  toward 
your  imperial  majesty  and  your  heirs,  and  will  re- 
main with  me  till  the  close  of  my  days."  Several 
letters  also  addressed  to  him  at  Warsaw,  entitled, 
"To  his  Majesty  the  Emperor,"  he  refused  to  open, 
on  the  ground  that  they  were  not  intended  for  him, 
and  returned  them  to  the  Senate  and  Council,  whence 
they  came,  with  their  seals  unbroken.  Thus,  he 
expressed  as  plainly  as  he  possibly  could,  his  deter- 
mination to  persist  in  his  resignation,  and  to  ac- 
knowledge the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas  as  the  sole 
and  legitimate  successor  of  Alexander  I.  on  the 
throne  of  all  the  Eussias. 


64  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ACCESSION     OF    THE    EMPEROR    NICHOLAS    I. — HIS     MANIFESTO — APPRE- 
HENSIONS   AT    ST.    PETERSBURG — THE     CONSPIRACY     OF     THE     NOBLES 

AGAINST    NICHOLAS THE    ARMY    IS    SEDUCED    BY  THEM    INTO    REVOLT 

MEMORABLE    SCENE    IN    ST.    ISAAC'S     SQUARE NARROW    ESCAPE    OF 

NICHOLAS     FROM     DEATH  —  HIS     HEROIC     CONDUCT  —  COUNT     ALEXIS 
ORLOFF — NICHOLAS    SUPPRESSES    THE    INSURRECTION. 

THUS  pressed  and  invited  to  assume  the  uneasy 
and  perilous  burden  of  sovereignty,  Nicholas  deter- 
mined no  longer  to  evade  that  duty;  and  on  the 
24th  of  December,  1825,  consented  to  accept  the 
proifered  sceptre.  On  the  evening  of  the  25th,  the 
Council  of  State  was  convoked,  to  assume  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  new  emperor.  During  the  same 
evening,  a  similar  ceremony  was  performed  both  by 
the  Senate  and  the  Holy  Synod. 

To  these  several  bodies  Nicholas  made  the  follow- 
ing declaration: — "According  to  the  fundamental 
law  of  the  empire,  our  heart  being  filled  with  re- 
spect for  the  impenetrable  decrees  of  an  overruling 
Providence,  we  ascend  the  throne  of  our  ancestors, 
the  empire  of  all  the  Russias,  of  the  kingdom  of 
Poland,  and  of  the  grand-duchy  of  Finland ;  and 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  65 

wo  command  that  the  oath  of  fidelity  be  taken  to 
us  and  to  our  heir,  the  Grand  Duke  Alexander; 
and  that  the  epoch  of  our  accession  be  dated  from 
December  1, 1825.  And  we  invite  all  our  faithful 
subjects  to  unite  with  us  in  fervent  prayer  to  Al- 
mighty God,  that  he  may  give  us  strength  to  sup- 
port the  burden  thus  imposed  on  us ;  that  he  may 
enable  us  to  live  and  reign  for  the  good  of  our  sub- 
jects ;  and  that  the  sacred  memory  of  our  deceased 
sovereign  may  nourish  in  us  a  desire  to  merit  the 
blessings  of  heaven  and  the  love  of  our  country." 

The  critical  moment  had  now  arrived  in  which  it 
was  necessary  for  that  vast  conspiracy  against  auto- 
cracy in  Russia,  which  had  been  in  secret  existence 
for  some  years,  to  strike  the  decisive  blow.  The 
death  of  Alexander  was  but  the  initiatory  step  in 
the  great  and  perilous  drama  which  was  about  to  be 
enacted.  It  was  proper  now  for  the  conspirators  to 
consummate  their  treason,  and  to  finish  what  they 
had  begun. 

The  end  proposed  by  the  conspirators  seems  to 
have  been  to  throw  confusion  between  the  rival 
claims  of  Constantine  and  Nicholas,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  uncertainty  and  suspense  produced  by  it,  to 
intimidate  the  Senate,  and  induce  it  to  aid  them  in 
compelling  Nicholas  and  Constantine  to  renounce 
their  rival  claims  to  the  throne ;  then  to  call  a  con- 

6* 


66  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

vocation  of  deputies  from  the  provinces,  who  would 
choose  another  sovereign,  invested  only  with  the 
powers  of  a  limited  constitutional  monarchy;  and 
establish,  in  co-ordinate  power  with  him,  deli- 
berative bodies  and  a  representative  government. 
These  ends  were  to  be  obtained  either  with  or 
without  the  effusion  of  blood,  as  events  might 
render  necessary.  The  assassination  of  the  emperor 
was  resolved  on,  should  he  exhibit  the  least  re- 
sistance ;  and  Kyleieff,  one  of  the  leading  conspira- 
tors, was  selected  to  strike  the  fatal  blow. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  uncertainty  and  gloom 
overspread  St.  Petersburg.  It  was  resolved  by  the 
new  czar,  that  early  in  the  morning  of  that  day  the 
important  ceremony  should  be  performed,  of  ad- 
ministering the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  regiments 
of  guards  in  the  capital.  On  the  night  of  the  25th, 
the  emperor  had  received  a  letter  from  Rostoftsof, 
informing  him  that  during  the  last  two  days,  the 
conspirators  had  been  active  in  corrupting  the 
guards.  The  immediate  outburst  of  the  revolution 
was  apprehended;  and  that  fear  prevented  Nicho- 
las from  publishing  his  manifesto  at  that  moment. 
This  neglect  was  imprudent ;  for  the  manifesto  con- 
tained a  recital  of  the  facts  connected  with  Con- 
stantino's refusal  to  accept  the  crown,  and  his  own 
proffered  allegiance  to  Nicholas.  This  information 


OP  NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  6T 

would  have  thrown  great  light  on  the  real  state  of 
the  case,  and  on  the  duty  devolving  on  the  soldiery, 
and  on  the  nation. 

But  without  that  manifesto,  and  being  in  igno- 
rance of  these  essential  facts,  the  guards,  when 
called  upon  to  swear  allegiance  to  Nicholas,  were 
naturally  surprised  and  apprehensive  of  wrong. 
They  had  just  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Con- 
stantine;  why  should  they  turn  traitors  to  that 
solemn  obligation,  and  assume  another  oath  to  a 
different  person?  They  had  received  no  informa- 
tion as  yet,  which  justified  such  a  course;  and 
hence  a  painful  uncertainty  and  fatal  delusion, 
operated  on  the  minds  of  thousands  of  brave  and 
loyal  men.  This  uncertainty  was  most  perilous  to 
the  safety  of  the  throne,  and  most  favourable  to  the 
treasonable  designs  of  the  conspirators. 

The  conspiracy  comprised  among  its  members 
many  officers  and  noblemen  of  high  rank,  as  well 
as  a  multitude  of  others  of  lower  grade.  Among 
them  were  also  men  of  letters ;  and  some  whose 
families  had  been  connected  with  the  glory  of  the 
nation  for  several  centuries.  Prince  Troubetskoi 
had  just  been  appointed  military  governor  of  Kief, 
and  at  that  time  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
court.  This  nobleman  was  descended  from  that 
Tchernigoff  who  was  illustrious  in  the  history  of 


G8  THE    LIFE    AND   REIdN 

Russia,  and  who  had  been  a  competitor  for  the 
throne  of  the  czars  at  the  period  when  the  free  suf- 
frages of  the  boyards,  had  elected  the  first  Roman- 
off to  the  cares  and  honours  of  empire.  RyleiefF 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  literary  men 
of  Russia,  being  a  poet  of  acknowledged  genius. 
Bestoujeff  was  amiable,  accomplished,  and  beloved 
for  his  many  virtues.  Jakoubovitch  was  savage 
and  ferocious  in  his  temper,  and  had  counselled 
the  most  desperate  measures  to  his  associates  in 
the  conspiracy.  These  misguided  persons — the  pro- 
fessed friends  of  freedom  and  republicanism — had 
thought  it  necessary,  that  the  association  should 
have  a  dictator;  and  Troubetskoi  was  chosen  to  fill 
that  dangerous  post,  as  if  the  hour  had  at  length 
arrived,  when  the  ancient  pretensions  of  his  family 
were  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  downfall  of  the  Roman- 
offs. But  he  seemed  to  be  totally  unfit  for  this 
distinction;  for  the  shrewd  Ryle'ieff,  being  asked 
whether  the  conspirators  had  not  chosen  an  ad- 
mirable chief,  replied,  sarcastically,  "Yes,  in 
stature !" 

The  means  contemplated  by  the  conspirators  for 
accomplishing  their  purposes,  were  the  corruption 
of  the  soldiery,  and  also  the  seduction  of  the 
mujiks,  or  populace,  to  unite  with  them.  The 
population  in  St.  Petersburg  was  at  that  time  com- 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  69 

posed  of  75,000  males,  in  addition  to  the  military, 
and  a  proportion  of  two-sevenths  of  that  number 
of  women.  These  75,000  mujiks  are  the  deadly 
enemies  of  the  police,  who  brutally  whip  them  OB 
every  possible  occasion.  They  are  constantly  un 
favourably  affected  toward  the  court;  and  brandy 
liberally  distributed  among  them,  will,  at  any  time 
of  danger  or  uncertainty  in  the  government,  ren- 
der them  the  pliant  and  desperate  tools  of  revolu- 
tionary agitators. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  December,  the 
conspirators  had  succeeded  in  drawing  over  to 
their  side  the  regiment  of  Moscow,  the  corps  of 
Marine  Guards,  and  half  the  battalion  of  the  Grena- 
dier Guards.  This  small  force  was  marched  into 
the  immense  Square  of  St.  Isaacs,  and  took  its 
position  in  the  rear  of  the  statue  of  Peter  the 
Great.  A  large  concourse  of  the  populace  accom- 
panied them,  among  whom  were  many  of  the  con- 
spirators disguised,  and  a  multitude  of  others,  who 
only  waited  to  see  the  direction  of  events  to  deter- 
mine their  own  conduct.  All  those  who  had  de- 
clared for  the  conspirators,  had  been  won  over  by 
the  false  statements  of  the  conspirators,  that  the 
Grand  Duke  Constantine  had  not  refused  the 
throne;  that  both  he  and  the  Grand  Duke  Mi- 
chael were  then  in  chains ;  and  that  Nicholas  was 


70  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

a  usurper.  Bestoujeff  even  declared  to  the  sol- 
diers that  he  himself  had  just  returned  from 
Warsaw,  and  had  been  witness  of  the  imprison- 
ment of  the  grand  dukes.  "  Long  live  the  Em- 
peror Constantine !"  was  shouted  continually  by 
these  misguided  troops,  while,  for  several  hours, 
they  remained  standing  in  the  Great  Square  of  St. 
Isaacs,  waiting  for  the  military  heads  of  the  con- 
spiracy. 

These  leaders  were  Troubetskoi  and  Bulatof ;  but 
neither  of  them  appeared  at  this  critical  moment. 
Bulatof  remained  during  the  whole  day  in  the  escort 
of  Nicholas,  to  which  he  belonged ;  and  had  not  the 
courage  to  act  the  perilous  part  which  he  had  under- 
taken. Troubetskoi  was  indeed  present  among  the 
crowd,  but  did  not  come  forward  to  take  the  com- 
mand ;  and  fled,  first  to  the  house  of  his  mother-in- 
law,  next  to  the  Austrian  ambassador,  and  last  of  all, 
to  the  presence  of  Nicholas,  surrounded  by  his  staff. 

In  this  condition,  deserted  by  their  leaders,  the 
misguided  soldiers  remained  in  St.  Isaac's  Square 
until  one  o'clock.  During  this  interval  Nicholas 
had  remained  in  the  Winter  Palace,  while  the  oath 
of  allegiance  was  being  administered  to  the  regi- 
ments, consisting  of  thirteen  thousand  men,  who 
had  not  revolted.  This  task  being  finished,  the 
emperor  was  informed  by  Mirola  Jovitch,  the  Gover- 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  71 

nor-general  of  St.  Petersburg,  of  the  state  of  revolt, 
in  which  a  portion  of  the  troops,  amounting  to  about 
three  thousand  men,  then  were.  It  was  now  time 
to  act  on  the  offensive,  and  Nicholas  began  to 
display  those  qualities  of  intrepidity  and  sagacity, 
which  rendered  his  conduct  on  this  critical  occasion 
memorable. 

He  immediately  ordered  Count  Alexis  Orloff  to 
bring  into  the  square  the  squadrons  of  Horse-Guards 
which  he  commanded,  and  which  were  then  stationed 
at  some  distance.  He  obeyed,  and  defiled  into  the 
square  with  a  rapidity  which  had  a  powerful  effect 
in  directing  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  Nicholas  then 
ordered  the  commanding  officer  of  the  regiment  of 
Preobrajensk  to  conduct  his  troops  into  the  square. 
Several  companies  of  the  Grenadiers  of  Paolofsk, 
the  sappers  of  the  Guards,  the  chasseurs  of  Fin- 
land,— all  were  summoned  simultaneously  by  Nicho- 
las to  take  up  their  positions  in  front  of  the  revolt- 
ing regiments. 

These  orders  being  obeyed,  Nicholas  came  fortb 
from  the  Winter  Palace.  As  he  gazed  from  its 
spacious  portals  toward  the  Admiralty  and  the 
equestrian  statue  of  Peter  the  Great,  his  eye  beheld 
a  large  portion  of  that  vast  square  filled  with  the 
soldiers  who  had  revolted,  surrounded  by  a  tumultu- 
ous multitude  who  had  joined  them,  and  were  pro- 


72  THE   LIFE  AND    EEIGN 

pared  to  act  with  the  military.  They  continually 
rent  the  air  with  loud  and  confused  shouts  of  "  Long 
live  the  Emperor  Coustantine !"  A  few  of  the  lead- 
ing conspirators,  among  whom  was  Ryleieff,  the  most 
intrepid  of  all  his  associates,  were  active  in  going 
from  rank  to  rank,  strengthening  the  resolution  of 
the  soldiers  to  fight  and  to  die  for  the  cause  of  their 
legitimate  sovereign,  Constantine. 

At  length,  surrounded  by  his  generals,  Nicholas 
advanced  across  the  plain  toward  the  disaifected 
multitude.  At  this  moment  an  officer  was  seen  to 
gallop  forth  from  the  midst  of  the  insurgents,  his 
right  hand  thrust  into  the  breast  of  his  uniform.  As 
he  approached,  the  emperor  advanced  to  meet  him ; 
and  when  they  had  arrived  at  a  sword's  length  from 
each  other,  Nicholas  inquired,  "  What  do  you  bring 
me?"  The  officer  met  the  emperor's  steady  gaze; 
his  hand  moved  convulsively  under  his  uniform ;  he 
trembled,  and  then,  without  saying  a  word,  he  turned 
his  horse  and  rode  back  again  to  his  associates. 
Said  he,  "  The  czar  looked  at  me  with  such  a  terri- 
ble glance  that  I  could  not  kill  him!"  Nicholas 
indeed  seemed  to  have  been  anxious  to  spare  the 
effusion  of  the  blood  of  his  subjects.  He  requested 
Count  Miloradovitch  to  approach,  and  address  the 
rebels.  He  did  so ;  but  his  voice  was  drowned  by 
loud  shouts  of  "Long  live  Constantine!"  At  this 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  73 

moment,  Rahhofski  approached  the  aged  general, 
discharged  his  pistol,  and  wounded  him  mortally. 
It  was  reserved  for  the  most  chivalrous  soldier,  the 
Murat  of  Russia,  who  had  escaped  the  shafts  of  death 
on  fifty-six  battle-fields  throughout  Europe,  to  fall  at 
length  hy  the  hand  of  a  Russian  assassin. 

At  this  instant  the  multitude  of  rebels  raised  the 
loud  cry  of  "Constitution!"  to  which  was  appended 
also  the  name  of  Constantine.  It  appears  that  in 
Russ,  the  word  constitoutzia  or  constitution  has  a  femi- 
nine termination;  and  the  ignorant  multitude  sup- 
posed that  by  the  double  phrase  thus  used  by  their 
leaders,  was  meant  Constantine  and  his  wife  I 

The  increasing  acclamations  of  the  multitude  for 
Constantine  and  the  constitution,  together  with  the 
fall  of  Miloradovitch,  aroused  Nicholas  from  the 
benevolent  lethargy  in  which,  until  that  moment,  he 
seemed  to  have  rested ;  and  he  determined  at  once 
to  take  active  and  extreme  measures.  He  ordered  a 
charge  of  cavalry  to  break  the  square  in  which  the 
troops  of  the  revolt  had  been  formed.  He  hoped 
that  by  this  charge  the  insurgents  would  give  way, 
and  the  multitude,  now  drunk  with  brandy,  would 
retreat  from  the  impending  danger.  His  expecta- 
tions were  i  disappointed ;  the  rebels  made  a  deter- 
mined resistance.  One  of  these  attacked  the  Grand 
Duke  Michael  in  person,  and  would  have  dispatched 

7 


74  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

him,  had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  protection  of 
some  marines  of  the  guards.  The  savage  and  despe- 
rate Jakoubovitch  rushed  forward,  and  struggled  to 
reach  the  person  of  Nicholas,  determined  to  strike  a 
fatal  blow.  The  shades  of  night  were  about  to  settle 
down  upon  the  lamentable  scene  of  carnage  and 
confusion,  without  any  decisive  result  having  been 
achieved  by  either  side.  Nicholas  saw  the  necessity 
of  taking  more  active  and  determined  measures.  He 
ordered  the  cannon  to  be  brought  into  the  Great 
Square,  whose  white  vesture  of  snow  had  already  be- 
come tinged  with  blood.  The  command  to  fire  on 
the  insurgents  was  immediately  given,  and  a  deluge 
of  shot  was  sent  into  the  thick  mass  of  living  flesh. 
The  effect  was  terrible.  Discharge  followed  after 
discharge.  Hundreds  of  dead  and  wounded  soon  bur- 
dened the  wintry  earth ;  and  the  rest  began  in  terror 
and  confusion  to  make  their  escape  from  the  im- 
pending havoc.  The  retreating  multitude  fled  in  a 
tumultuous  torrent  to  the  Bassili  Ostroff,  an  island 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  frozen  Neva,  near  the 
English  quay.  The  pursuit  continued  down  the 
long  street  of  Galernaia,  and  in  the  by-streets.  The 
pathway  of  their  retreat  was  covered  with  dead 
bodies.  At  length  the  pursuit  was  stopped,  and  a 
thousand  killed  and  wounded,  and  eight  hundred 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  75 

prisoners,  testified  to  the  fury  and  desperation  of  the 
conflict. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  this  memorable 
day,  Nicholas  returned  to  the  Winter  Palace.  He 
had  dared  the  most  imminent  danger,  had  exhibited 
the  utmost  intrepidity,  and  had  achieved  a  decisive 
victory  over  a  powerful  and  dangerous  conspiracy. 
From  that  moment  he  was  seated  securely  on  his 
throne.  The  power  of  revolt  was  crushed.  Hence- 
forth his  sceptre  of  empire  was  undisturbed ;  and  a 
glorious  destiny  began  to  open  wide  its  enchanting 
vistas  of  felicity  and  renown  before  him.  Such,  at 
least,  were  then  the  prognostications  of  short-sighted 
humanity. 


7G  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 


CHAPTER  VH. 

DEATH     OP     MILORADOVITCH — TB    DEUM     CHANTED — .ARREST     OP     THE 

LEADING     CONSPIRATORS TROUBETSKOI THE     SOLDIERS    TAKE    THE 

OATH    OF    ALLEGIANCE    TO    NICHOLAS PRINCE    TCHERNYCHEFF COM- 
MISSION APPOINTED  TO   TRY  THE   CONSPIRATORS NICHOLAS  APPOINTS 

HIS    CABINET   MINISTERS THE    GRAND    DUKE    CONST ANTINE'S    LETTER 

OP   CONGRATULATION    TO   NICHOLAS  I. 

ON  entering  the  palace  after  these  perilous  scenes, 
Nicholas  found  the  empress  bathed  in  tears,  and 
trembling  with  terror.  She  might  well  have  been 
apprehensive  of  the  dangers  which  surrounded  her 
husband,  during  that  awful  interval  of  suspense ;  but 
his  safe  return  happily  dispelled  her  fears,  and  she 
united  her  congratulations  with  that  of  the  court, 
upon  his  fortunate  escape. 

As  soon  as  he  had  returned  their  congratulations, 
he  hastened  to  the  bedside  of  the  dying  Milorado- 
vitch.  An  affecting  scene  ensued.  Nicholas  had 
arrived  in  time  to  witness  the  dissolution  of  his 
ancient  friend,  and  to  receive  his  last  sigh.  He  had 
but  one  request  to  make,  and  that  was,  that  the  em- 
peror would  provide  for  his  only  surviving  relative 
in  the  world,  a  widowed  sister,  Marie  Alexieovna. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  77 

Nicholas  promised  to  do  so,  and  afterward  granted 
her  a  pension  of  10,000  rubles.  He  also  paid  all  the 
general's  debts,  and  ordered  his  funeral  to  be  per- 
formed with  extraordinary  magnificence.  It  was 
attended  by  the  who-le  court,  and  all  the  regiments 
in  St.  Petersburg. 

Returning  after  his  sad  interview  with  Milorado- 
vitch  to  the  empress,  the  first  exclamation  of  the  new 
czar  was:  "What  a  commencement  for  a  reign!" 
His  apprehensions  for  the  future  were  still  most 
gloomy;  for  he  could  not  be  assured  that  all  the 
ramifications  of  the  conspiracy  had  been  crushed. 
Later  in  the  evening  he  ordered  a  Te  Deum  to  be 
chanted  in  the  chapel  of  the  palace,  at  which  the 
whole  court  attended.  He  followed  up  his  triumph 
with  the  necessary  precautions,  and  ordered  every 
approach  to  the  palace  to  be  securely  guarded. 
Many  regiments  passed  the  night  in  bivouac  around 
huge  fires,  in  the  Great  Square  before  the  palace,  the 
scene  of  the  late  conflict.  The  Cossacks  of  the 
Guard  traversed  every  part  of  the  city  during  the 
night,  to  maintain  order  and  capture  the  fugitives. 

The  next  duty  which  devolved  on  the  new  em- 
peror, was  the  punishment  of  the  unfortunate  con- . 
spirators. 

Every  thing  connected  with  the  conspiracy  was 

revealed,  through  the  cowardice  and  stupidity  of 

7* 


78  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

Troubetskoi,  the  Brutus,  the  dictator,  who  had 
been  chosen  as  the  head  and  chief  of  the  whole 
movement.  As  soon  as  the  revolt  commenced,  in- 
stead of  appearing  at  the  head  of  the  troops,  he 
hastened  to  the  military  office,  at  the  "Winter  Palace, 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Nicholas.  A  severe 
nervous  attack  detained  him  for  some  time  at  that 
office.  As  soon  as  he  recovered  from  it,  he  has- 
tened to  conceal  himself  at  his  sister's  house.  His 
terrors  here  again  overcame  him,  and,  under  the 
cover  of  the  night,  he  took  refuge  in  the  house  of 
his  brother-in-law,  the  Count  of  Lebzeltern,  the 
Austrian  representative.  But  while  he  remained 
there,  he  forgot  that  he  had  left  all  his  secret  papers 
at  his  own  house.  These  papers  contained  the 
names  of  the  conspirators,  and  the  details  of  all 
their  plans.  E"o  better  proof  of  the  secrets  of  the 
conspiracy  could  possibly  have  been  desired.  They 
carried  ruin  to  every  one  who  had  the  slightest 
connection  with  the  movement. 

The  agents  of  the  police  soon  reached  the  house 
of  Troubetskoi,  andv  these  fatal  papers  were  all 
seized.  Count  Nesselrode,  during  the  night,  went 
in  person  to  the  house  of  the  Austrian  minister, 
and  endeavoured  to  persuade  him  to  influence  the 
recreant  Brutus  to  make  no  resistance  to  the  will 
of  the  emperor.  His  arguments  proved  successful. 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  79 

The  vacillating  Troubetskoi  went,  under  the  con- 
duct of  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  emperor,  to  the 
palace,  and  after  a  short  interval  was  admitted  to 
the  presence  of  Nicholas.  At  first  he  denied  all 
connection  with  the  conspiracy.  His  own  papers 
were  then  shown  to  him.  Some  of  these  were 
written  in  his  own  handwriting ;  others  were  signed 
with  his  name.  He  was  overcome  by  these  proofs, 
and,  falling  at  the  feet  of  Nicholas,  implored  his 
mercy,  and  asked  for  his  life.  "It  is  granted," 
replied  Nicholas ;  "  sit  down,  and  write  to  your 
wife."  Troubetskoi,  trembling  from  head  to  foot, 
sat  down,  and  waited  for  the  dictation  of  the  em- 
peror. "Write;  lam  well."  This  he  wrote.  "My 
life  will  be  spared."  Hearing  these  words,  he  hesi- 
tated. "Write  and  seal  the  letter,"  continued 
Nicholas.  He  obeyed.  The  emperor  then  said  to 
him,  "If  you  have  the  courage  to  support  a  life 
dishonoured  thus,  and  devoted  to  remorse,  I  grant 
it  you,  but  it  is  all  I  promise ;"  and  he  turned  away 
from  the  craven  culprit  with  disgust. 

During  the  27th  of  December  the  public  tranquil- 
lity remained  undisturbed.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  Nicholas  was  observed  to  leave  the  palace 
on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a  single  aide-de- 
camp. He  rode  along  the  lines  of  the  troops,  who 
still  stood  to  their  arms  in  the  Great  Square  of  St. 


80  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

Isaac's,  before  the  palace.  He  thanked  them  for 
their  fidelity  and  bravery;  he  released  them  from 
their  duty,  and  each  company  defiled  before  him 
on  their  way  to  their  quarters.  He  gave  orders 
for  the  issue  of  double  rations  of  meat,  fish,  and 
brandy.  Their  pay  was  also  increased;  and  the 
utmost  enthusiasm  prevailed  throughout  their 
ranks. 

Toward  those  misguided  regiments  who  had  been 
seduced  by  the  conspirators,  he  determined  to  exer- 
cise great  clemency.  They  had  been  the  victims 
of  the  false  representations  of  their  leaders,  and 
they  excited  his  pity.  They  had  obeyed  only  their 
duty,  as  they  thought,  in  proclaiming  the  succession 
of  Constantine.  The  Marines  of  the  Guards,  who 
willingly  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Nicholas, 
he  at  once  forgave.  Their  colours,  thus  stained  by 
revolt,  were-  taken  from  them,  and  consecrated 
anew.  The  czar  then  returned  them  with  his  own 
hand,  and  said:  "You  have  lost  your  honour;  seek 
now  to  regain  it !"  All  the  other  companies  were 
pardoned,  on  condition  that  their  most  active  leaders 
in  the  revolt  should  be  given  up,  formed  into  a 
single  company,  and  sent  to  serve  in  the  Cau- 
casus ;  that  they  might  wash  away  the  stains  which 
polluted  their  colours,  in  the  blood  of  the  fiercest 
foes  of  the  Russian  power  and  name.  Thus  the 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  81 

soldiery  were  disposed  of,  who  had  been  beguiled 
into  the  conspiracy. 

But  a  much  more  difficult  and  unpleasant  task 
remained,  with  reference  to  the  guilty  leaders  and 
instigators  of  the  revolution.  Their  arrest  con- 
tinued during  the  27th  and  28th  of  December. 
The  papers  of  Troubetskoi  were  the  death-warrants 
which  sealed  the  fate  of  all.  The  fortress  of  St. 
Petersburg  soon  became  crowded  with  the  sons  of 
generals,  civil  functionaries,  literati,  princes,  and 
officers.  Among  their  number  were  Ryleieff,  Rak- 
hofski,  Obolmski,  the  Bestoujeffs,  Jakoubovitch, 
Troubetskoi,  Pestel,  Muravief,  and  Suwarroff,  a 
son  of  the  illustrious  general.  These  were  the 
heads  of  the  conspiracy,  though  they  were  accom- 
panied by  a  vast  herd  of  the  subordinates.  - 

Nicholas  himself  conducted  the  first  examination 
of  some  of  the  conspirators.  It  was  scarcely  day  on 
the  28th  of  December  when  he  summoned  Bestou- 
jeff  to  his  presence.  He  addressed  the  conspirator 
in  these  words :  "  General  Bestoujeff,  your  father, 
was  a  faithful  servant ;  he  has  left  behind  him  de- 
generate sons.  Where  were  you  on  the  26th?" 
"Near  your  person,  sire;  and  had  you  shown  any 
weakness,  I  would  have  slain  you;  but  you  dis- 
played such  heroic  fortitude,  that  I  could  not 
strike."  The  emperor  inquired,  "Who  were  your 


82  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

associates?  and  what  were  your  resources?"  He 
answered,  "Sire,  such  things  should  not  be  re- 
vealed before  witnesses."  Nicholas  retired  with 
him  to  a  private  cabinet ;  but  the  issue  of  the  con- 
versation was  not  revealed. 

Young  Prince  Tchernycheff,  descended  from  one 
of  the  most  illustrious  families  of  Russia,  was  among 
the  conspirators.  Nicholas,  on  account  of  his  youth, 
desired  to  save  him.  "Is  it  possible,"  said  the  czar, 
"  that  you  have  incurred  this  guilt  ?  Disavow  the 
principles  which  you  have  professed,  and  I  will  par- 
don you."  Tchernycheff  refused.  Said  he:  "I 
have  only  acted  according  to  my  conscience !"  He 
was  afterward  exiled  to  Irkutsk,  but  was  pardoned 
in  1829,  and  sent  to  join  the  army  of  the  Caucasus, 
in  the  ranks.  Such  was  the  heroism,  the  intrepidity, 
displayed  by  some  of  those  who  had  been  associated 
together  in  this  abortive  revolution. 

The  emperor  immediately  appointed  a  commission 
to  try  the  leaders  of  the  revolt,  who  were  now  in 
prison.  This  commission  consisted  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Michael,  Prince  Alexander  Galitsin,  General 
Tatischtcheff,  Koutousoff,  Governor  of  St.  Peters- 
burg, Potapoff,  Benkendorff,  and  several  others.  This 
commission  sat  for  five  months,  and  determined  the 
fate  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons.  They 
decided,  after  a  careful  investigation  of  all  the  facts, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  O6 

that  these  hundred  and  twenty  persons  all  deserved 
the  penalty  of  death.  But  the  commission  appealed 
to  the  imperial  clemency,  and  classed  the  criminals 
under  eleven  heads,  making  an  exception  only  of 
five;  whom  they  set  apart  in  consequence  of  the 
enormity  of  their  crimes.  These  were  Pestel,  Ry- 
leieff,  Muravief,  Bestoujef-Rumini,  and  Kakhofski. 
These  they  condemned  to  be  quartered  alive. 

Thirty-one  persons  the  commission  placed  in  the 
first  category,  and  were  sentenced  to  be  beheaded. 
The  second  list  were  condemned  to  banishment  to 
Siberia  for  life ;  and  the  other  classes,  to  penalties 
less  severe,  in  proportion  to  the  enormity  of  their 
crime. 

Nicholas,  however,  commuted  these  penalties  to 
others  of  a  less  severe  character.  The  five  persons 
condemned  to  be  quartered  were  hung,  and  the 
other  penalties  were  mitigated  in  proportion.  On 
the  25th  of  July,  1826,  the  execution  of  the  five  pre- 
eminent felons  took  place  on  the  glacis  of  the  for- 
tress of  St.  Petersburg.  Their  swords  were  first 
broken  over  their  heads;  their  epaulettes  and  mili- 
tary decorations  were  thrown  into  the  fire ;  gibbets 
instead  of  crosses  were  erected  over  their  graves, 
and  over  the  graves  of  the  officers  who  had  been 
killed  during  the  revolt  on  the  26th. 

The   new  czar,  however,  displayed  his  benevo- 


84  THE   LIFE   AND    KEIGN 

lence  by  giving  pensions  and  presents  to  the  rela- 
tives of  the  executed  criminals.  To  the  father  of 
Pestel  he  gave  fifty  thousand  rubles.  He  promoted 
his  brother  to  the  post  of  aid-de-camp  in  his  service. 
He  lavished  wealth  on  Rostoftsof,  who  had  first 
given  information  respecting  the  conspiracy.  He 
sent  his  condolence  to  the  widow  of  Byle'ieff.  Her 
reply  was :  "  The  only  favour  I  ask  of  the  emperor 
is  to  share  the  fate  of  my  husband." 

The  rope  with  which  Muravief  and  Byle'ieff  were 
hung  broke,  and  they  fell  to  the  ground.  Mura- 
vief exclaimed,  "In  this  cursed  country  they  don't 
even  know  how  to  hang  a  man  !"  Ryle'ieff  replied, 
"Decidedly  nothing  succeeds  with  me;  not  even 
hanging."  Such  was  the  courageous  indifference 
displayed  by  some  of  the  conspirators,  to  their  hor- 
rible fate. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Nicholas,  after  the  sup- 
pression of  the  conspiracy,  was  to  publish  a  mani- 
festo, and  appoint  his  cabinet  officers. 

In  this  manifesto  he  congratulated  his  subjects 
on  the  fortunate  suppression  of  the  revolt,  and  the 
re-establishment  of  peace  and  security.  He  pro- 
mised that  the  seeds  of  disaffection  should  be  rooted 
out  of  the  "sacred  soil  of  Russia."  He  declared 
that  there  was  a  difference  and  vast  interval  be- 
tween a  rational  desire  for  improvement,  and  the 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  85 

fury  of  radicalism.  The  one  he  would  promote; 
the  other  he  would  extirpate.  He  expressed  his 
undiminished  confidence  in  the  unchanging  fidelity 
and  loyalty  of  the  Russian  nation. 

In  the  selection  of  his  cabinet  ministers,  Nicholas 
displayed  great  wisdom  and  discretion.  He  ap- 
pointed the  celebrated  Count  Nesselrode  to  the  im- 
portant office  of  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  His 
family  was  Westphalian  in  its  origin.  He  was  him- 
self born  on  board  an  English  ship  in  the  port  of 
Lisbon,  and  he  had  entered  the  Russian  service. 
Hence  it  was  that  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  said  wittily 
respecting  him,  that  he  represented  in  his  person 
the  Quadruple  Alliance.  Nesselrode  was  pliant  in 
his  disposition,  but  possessed  profound  diplomatic 
skill,  great  craft  and  sagacity,  and  was  a  match 
for  Metternich  and  Fouche,  even,  in  their  most  in- 
tricate intrigues.  He  was  also  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  state  of  all  the  European  countries.  He 
had  long  been  in  the  service  of  the  Russian  czars, 
and  was  familiar  with  all  the  traditions  of  the  de- 
partment of  foreign  affairs.  He  had  possessed  the 
confidence  of  Alexander,  under  whose  reign,  he 
was  at  the  head  of  the  department  termed  the 
"  College  of  the  Empire." 

General  Tatischtcheff  was  appointed  Minister  of 
War.    This  'officer  was  able,  upright,  and  laborious : 


86  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

qualities  of  rare  and  sterling  value.  He  had  some 
slight  tendency  toward  reform  in  the  government ; 
but  it  was  not  so  decided  as  to  render  him  objec- 
tionable to  the  emperor. 

To  the  department  of  Finance  Count  Cancrine 
was  designated,  as  being  the  most  skilful  financier 
in  the  Russian  dominions.  He  was  a  German  by 
birth;  an  officer  of  the  old  school,  laborious,  pro- 
foundly learned,  and  exceedingly  accurate,  and  pos- 
sessing at  the  same  time  the  highest  reputation  for 
unflinching  integrity.  He  was  the  opposite  of  Ta~ 
tischtcheff  in  political  sentiment,  and  was  a  supl- 
porter  of  absolutism  to  its  fullest  extent.  He  has 
been  since  termed,  very  justly,  "the  Colbert  of 
Russia."  He  displayed  his  ability  in  the  vast  im- 
provement which  he  soon  introduced,  into  the  dis- 
ordered and  exhausted  finances  of  Russia.  He  re- 
tired from  office  in  1844,  and  died  one  year  after- 
ward. He  published  an  able  work  after  his  retire- 
ment, which  will  endure  as  a  monument  of  his 
vast  financial  genius.* 

The  emperor  appointed  Vice- Admiral  Moller  as 
Minister  of  the  Marine  Department.  Privy  Coun- 
cillor Lausko'i  retained  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior. 
The  department  of  Public  Instruction  was  filled 

*  Die  (Ekonomie  der  Menschlichen  Gesellschaften,  (The  Economy 
of  Human  Societies,)  Stuttgardt,  1845. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  87 

by  M.  Chischkoff,  with  whom  M.  Perofski  was  asso- 
ciated,— both  of  them  profoundly  learned  men. 
The  appanages  of  the  imperial  household  were 
committed  to  the  care  of  Count  Gowriefi^  formerly 
Minister  of  Finance.  The  vast  domains  of  the 
crown,  and  the  interests  of  the  serfs,  were  after- 
ward intrusted  to  the  direction  of  Count  Paul 
Kisseleff,  the  former  governor  of  Moldavia  and 
"Wallachia. 

In  addition  to  the  appointment  of  these  great 
officers  of  state,  several  minor  promotions  of  in- 
terest were  made.  General  Orloff,  whose  services 
at  a  critical  moment  in  the  midst  of  the  revolt  of 
the  25th  of  December,  in  bringing  his  regiment 
so  quickly  into  line,  in  front  of  the  insurgents,  in 
the  Great  Square  of  St.  Isaac's, — the  importance  of 
which  Nicholas  duly  appreciated, — was  promoted  to 
the  office  of  Minister  of  Police.  The  cordon  rouge 
of  the  Order  of  St.  Alexander  IsTewski  was  con- 
ferred on  General  Buckendorff,  Count  Kemme- 
rofski,  Zarefski,  and  Baron  de  Toll,  all  of  whom 
rendered  important  services  to  the  czar,  on  the 
memorable  day  of  the  revolt. 

In  Poland,  the  most  important  province  of  the 
Russian  crown,  all  the  staff  and  royal  guards  sta- 
tioned in  "Warsaw  swore  allegiance  to  the  new  czar 
on  the  2d  of  January,  1826,  in  the  presence  of  the 


88  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

Grand  Duke  Constantino  himself.  The  same  day 
the  same  oath  was  taken  by  all  the  ministers  and 
councils  of  the  administration,  by  the  Polish  Se- 
nate, by  the  council  of  state,  by  the  municipal  au- 
thorities, and  by  all  the  commissioners  and  func- 
tionaries of  government. 

On  the  7th  of  January  Constantine  addressed 
from  Warsaw  a  letter  to  Mcholas,  in  which  the 
following  sentiments  occur.  "  Sire,  I  have  received 
with  the  most  lively  satisfaction  the  edict  by  which 
your  imperial  majesty  has  deigned  to  acquaint  me 
of  your  happy  accession  to  the  throne  of  your  an- 
cestors— of  our  beloved  Russia.  The  supreme  law 
of  the  empire  is  the  will  of  the  sovereign  whom  Provi- 
dence grants  to  us.  In  accomplishing  this  will,  your 
imperial  majesty  has  accomplished  the  will  of  the 
King  of  kings,  who,  in  events  of  importance,  evi- 
dently inspires  the  monarchs  of  the  earth.  If  I 
have  in  any  degree  co-operated  toward  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  decrees  of  Providence,  I  have  only 
fulfilled  my  duty  as  a  faithful  subject,  as  a  devoted 
brother — the  duty,  in  short,  of  a  Russian  who  is  proud 
of  the  happiness  of  obeying  God  and  his  sovereign." 
During  the  progress  of  these  events  in  the  north, 
an  insurrection  which  had  been  organized  by  Pes- 
tel  and  Sergius  Mourovieff  in  the  southern  army 
of  Russia  broke  forth.  This  army  was  under  the 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  89 

command  of  Prince  Wittgenstein,  and  was  sta- 
tioned on  the  Pruth.  This  revolt  was  easily  sup- 
pressed by  the  energy  and  resolution  of  Lieuten- 
ants Roth  and  Geisman,  on  its  first  outburst,  on 
the  15th  of  January,  1826.  Immediately  afterward, 
the  whole  army  of  the  south,  consisting  of  120,000 
men,  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Nicholas  I. 
This  branch  of  the  revolt  against  the  regular  suc- 
cession to  the  throne  was  more  badly  managed, 
and  displayed  even  more  lamentable  cowardice  and 
indecision,  than  that  which  had  occurred  in  St. 
Petersburg. 


8* 


90  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 


CHAPTER  Yin. 

VAST  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  EMPIRE  INHERITED  BY  NICHOLAS  I. — PER- 
SONAL APPEARANCE  OF  NICHOLAS  AT  THE  PERIOD  OF  HIS  ACCESSION 
HIS  INTELLECTUAL  QUALITIES GEOGRAPHICAL  LIMITS  OF  HIS  EM- 
PIRE  HIS  MILITARY  RESOURCES HIS  NAVAL  FORCES — THE  EFFEC- 
TIVENESS OF  THE  POLICE  OF  RUSSIA REVENUES  OF  THE  EMPIRE 

ATTACHMENT  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH  TO  THE  CZARS NICHOLAS  BE- 
COMES THE  GREAT  REPRESENTATIVE  OF  ABSOLUTISM  IN  THE  NINE- 
TEENTH CENTURY. 

AMONG  the  many  memorable  instances  recorded 
in  history,  in  which  youthful  sovereigns  have  as- 
cended to  the  possession  of  brilliant  thrones,  we 
know  of  none  which  equals,  in  eveiy  element  of 
personal  splendour,  political  grandeur,  and  prospec- 
tive glory,  that  of  the  accession  of  Nicholas  I. 

The  empire  to  which  Charles  V.  fell  heir  in  the 
sixteenth  century  was  small  in  extent,  and  insigni- 
ficant in  resources,  compared  with  that  of  the  Rus- 
sian czar;  though  at  a  later  period,  when  elected 
Emperor  of  Germany,  he  obtained  a  vast  addition 
to  his  jurisdiction,  which  still  left  him  the  inferior 
of  the  Russian  potentate. 

Napoleon  I.,  when  his  head  was  first  graced  by 
the  iron  crown  of  Lombardy,  possessed  a  power 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  91 

which  was,  in  every  sense,  most  transient  and  in- 
secure ;  and  which  bore  in  its  own  bosom,  the  seeds 
and  the  presage  of  its  inevitable  dissolution. 

The  present  Queen  of  England,  the  prolific  Vic- 
toria, is  a  mere  puppet  in  the  hands  of  her  minis- 
ters and  parliaments ;  and  does  not  actually  possess 
as  much  real  power  as  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  Francis  Joseph,  the  youthful  representa- 
tive of  the  ancient  house  of  Hapsburg,  is  known 
to  be  an  intellectual  weakling,  who  fears  to  exer- 
cise authority  which  he  might  possess,  and  who  uni- 
formly defers  to  the  wiser  judgment  of  his  mother, 
his  cabinet,  and  his  confessor.  He  is  the  mere 
representative  of  a  despotic  power,  which  is  secretly 
usurped  by  other  and  more  able  hands. 

It  was  not  thus  with  the  youthful  Czar  of  Rus- 
sia who,  in  1825,  ascended  the  throne  of  the  Mus- 
covite kings.  In  his  case,  there  were  circumstances 
of  superiority  and  splendour  which  rendered  his 
position  an  unequalled  one,  even  in  the  long  cata- 
logue of  mighty  and  illustrious  sovereigns.  Let 
us  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  constituent  ele- 
ments, of  the  transcendent  power  and  glory  of 
Nicholas  I. 

In  his  person  and  intellect,  nature  had  fitted  him 
to  rule  over  his  fellow-men,  by  the  undeniable  claim 
of  superior  physical  and  intellectual  gifts.  The  Mar- 


92  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

quis  de  Custine  enthusiastically  describes  him  as  a 
god, — as  one  intended  to  sway  the  sceptre  of  do- 
minion over  commonplace  mortals;  and  as  one  of 
those  rare  instances  in  which  a  man  of  great  talents, 
had  fortunately  reached  the  very  place  for  which 
nature  had  pre-eminently  fitted  him.  That  Nicholas 
possessed  a  great  intellect,  either  of  a  military,  po- 
litical, or  literary  character,  may  well  be  doubted. 
But  that  he  was  gifted  with  a  clear,  sagacious  judg- 
ment, with  dauntless  resolution,  with  unwavering 
perseverance,  and  a  well-balanced  mind,  none  will 
deny  who  are  familiar  with  his  history.  He  tho- 
roughly understood  all  the  details  of  his  duties.  He 
knew  every  thing  that  it  became  so  great  a  sove- 
reign to  know.  The  machinery  of  government, 
though  not  its  philosophy,  he  clearly  comprehended. 
And  he  delighted  in  the  exercise  of  all  his  preroga- 
tives and  functions.  It  was,  in  a  word,  the  great 
aim  and  end,  as  well  as  the  highest  gratification,  of 
his  existence,  to  act,  to  speak,  and  to  think,  as  be- 
came a  monarch  ruling  over  the  greatest  empire  in 
the  world. 

To  prove  that  such  were  the  dimensions  of  the 
dominion  of  Nicholas,  let  us  glance  at  the  details  of 
its  geographical  limits.  Without  exaggeration,  it 
was  the  largest  in  the  world.  Russia  in  Europe  ex- 
tends from  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  and  the  White  Sea 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  93 

on  the  north,  to  the  Sea  of  Azoff  and  the  Black  Sea 
on  the  south  ;  being  about  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  a 
straight  line  from  its  northern  to  its  southern  limits. 
It  extends  from  the  Ural  Mountains  and  the  Volga 
on  the  east,  to  Posen  and  Silesia  on  the  west;  being 
twelve  lumdred  miles  from  the  one  boundary  to  the 
other.  It  comprises  fifty-four  different  governments, 
each  having  their  capital  cities  and  separate  juris- 
diction, subject  only  to  the  central  government  at 
St.  Petersburg.  It  comprises  one-half  of  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Continent  of  Europe ;  and  it  is  thickly 
populated  throughout  nearly  its  whole  extent. 

But  the  dominion  of  the  czars  does  not  terminate 
here.  Russia  in  Asia  extends  from  the  Ural  Moun- 
tains, the  boundary  between  Europe  and  Asia,  to 
Kamskatka,  the  most  eastern  country  of  Asia ;  and 
sweeping  across  the  whole  of  the  northern  half  of 
the  latter  continent,  for  twenty-five  hundred  miles, 
comprises  a  territory  equal  in  extent  to  the  whole  of 
China.  Thus  the  mandate  of  Nicholas,  seated  on 
his  despotic  throne  at  St.  Petersburg,  was  obeyed 
with  the  most  obsequious  submission,  from  east  to 
west,  throughout  a  continuous  area  of  four  thousand 
miles !  His  subjects  were  sixty-five  millions  in  num- 
ber. His  jurisdiction  extended  actually  over  one- 
seventh  of  the  whole  surface  of  the  habitable  globe  ! 

The  military  resources  of  the  czar  were  equally 


94  THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

great.  The  active  army  of  Russia  consists  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  battalions,  containing  one 
thousand  men  each.  The  army  of  reserve  on  the 
peace  establishment  consisted  of  seventy-two  thou- 
sand men.  Thus,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 

*•» 
when  Russia  was  not  engaged  in  active  hostilities 

with  a  foreign  nation,  her  standing  army  contained 
about  five  hundred  thousand  men;  for  in  addition 
to  the  numbers  just  named,  there  must  be  added  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  regiments  of  Cossacks,  num- 
bering one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand.  When 
the  present  war  against  Turkey  was  proclaimed, 
Nicholas  ordered  an  additional  levy  of  three  hundred 
thousand  men;  thus  making  the  whole  military 
force  of  the  empire,  including  the  naval  arm  of  the 
service,  amount  to  one  million  of  men,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  struggle  in  the  East. 
With  this  prodigious  force  at  his  command,  it  is  not 
singular  that  the  haughty  czar  indulged  the  belief, 
that  he  had  but  to  stretch  forth  his  hand  and  grasp 
the  sceptre  and  the  crown  of  Constantinople  with 
facility. 

The  efficiency  of  the  military  force  of  the  czar  is 
evinced  by  the  fact,  that  his  soldiers  are  the  picked 
men  of  Europe  and  of  Asia.  Cameron,  an  English 
writer  who  witnessed  a  grand  review  of  the  army, 
describes  the  men  as  presenting  a  formidable  ap- 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  95 

pearance.  There  were  powerfully  built  cuirassiers, 
sinewy  Hulans,  light  and  active  hussars,  gigantic 
grenadiers,  agile  riflemen,  mail-clad  Circassians, 
and  barbarous-looking  Cossacks ; — all,  combined  to- 
gether, forming  an  army  of  unequalled  power  and 
effectiveness. 

The  naval  force  of  Russia  is  also  one  of  great 
strength.  It  musters,  in  time  of  peace,  fifty-five 
ships  of  the  line  and  thirty  heavy  frigates,  which  are 
manned  by  fifty  thousand  seamen.  This  force  is 
divided  into  two  great  squadrons — the  Baltic  fleet, 
and  the  Black  Sea  fleet.  It  is  commanded  by  sixty- 
three  admirals,  seventy-two  captains  of  the  first  rank, 
and  eighty  of  the  second. 

While  the  czar  commands  this  prodigious  force  to 
assist  in  the  external  security  of  his  dominions,  his 
police  establishment  is  the  largest,  the  most  power- 
ful, and  the  most  adroit,  in  the  world. 

In  Eussia,  the  police  establishment  is  divided  into 
two  separate  sections.  The  first  is  the  political  or 
high  police.  To  this  we,  in  republican  America, 
have  fortunately  no  counterpart.  The  second  di- 
vision is  the  civil  or  municipal  police. 

Superintended  by  the  minister  of  police  at  St. 
Petersburg,  the  high  police  forms  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  institutions  which  the  mind  can  con- 
ceive. Its  agents  are  innumerable,  and  their  num- 


J'O  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGX 

bers  are  expressly  kept  concealed.  The}7  are  to  be 
found  actively  employed  not  only  throughout  Russia, 
but  even  throughout  Europe.  It  would  be  perfectly 
useless  for  the  subjects  of  the  czar  to  attempt  to  re- 
lease themselves  from  the  surveillance  of  this  secret 
power  in  any  quarter  of  the  globe.  Their  eyes  are 
open,  their  ears  are  attentive,  their  scrutiny  is  close 
and  severe,  in  every  land ;  and  they  continually  de- 
spatch, to  the  great  centre  of  their  association  at  St. 
Petersburg,  narrations  of  all  that  they  see  and  hear 
and  know.  A  Russian  traveller  who  has  visited,  for 
purposes  of  pleasure,  business,  or  instruction,  remote 
quarters  of  the  globe,  is  astounded  on  returning  to 
St.  Petersburg  to  find  a  report  of  all  his  conduct 
during  his  absence  there  before  him.  These  politi- 
cal police  dress  in  various  ways,  and  assume  different 
disguises ;  and  are  even  sometimes  seen  as  bare- 
legged ballet-dancers  in  the  theatres  of  the  great 
cities  of  Western  Europe.  "I  have  with  my  own 
eyes,"  says  a  French  writer,  "in  February,  1848, 
seen  one  of  their  well-known  agents  going  all  over 
Paris,  with  an  enormous  trace  of  red  wool  at  his 
button-hole,  in  an  attire  which  the  most  disorderly 
conspirator  would  have  commended."  Often  the 
imprudent  Russian  has  been  tempted,  when  in  the 
arms  of  some  fair  and  frail  nymph,  to  give  utterance 
to  his  political  heresies ;  and  together  with  his  gifts 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  97 

of  gold  and  jewels,  to  impart  his  political  discontents 
so  his  fascinating  charmer.  The  next  thing  he 
'mows  is,  that  he  is  betrayed  by  her  as  an  agent  of 
ihe  secret  political  police. 

The  omnipresent  and  permeating  power  of  this 
police  is  only  equalled  by  that  of  the  municipal 
police ;  though  its  influence  is  necessarily  confined 
to  the  limits  of  the  Russian  dominions.  The 
municipal  police  carry  to  extremes,  the  vigilance 
and  perfidy  which  usually  mark  that  branch  of 
the  government.  While  professing  only  to  detect 
crimes,  it  pries  into  every  domestic  secret;  and 
there  is  not  a  family  in  all  Russia,  whose  most 
hidden  arcana  are  not  known,  inspected,  and  scru- 
tinized by  the  innumerable  agents  of  the  muni- 
cipal police ;  and,  if  thought  to  be  of  the  slightest 
importance,  are  immediately  and  secretly  reported 
at  St.  Petersburg. 

It  was  another  element  of  the  greatness  of  the 
power  inherited  by  Nicholas,  that  his  dominions 
were  then  free  from  the  horrors  of  war,  as  entailed 
on  his  predecessor  by  the  amazing  ambition  of  Na- 
poleon. His  vast  territories,  at  the  period  of  his 
accession,  enjoyed  the  great  blessings  attendant 
upon  a  profound  peace  with  all  the  world.  The 
struggles  through  which  the  Russian  nation  had 
just  passed  with  the  French  adventurer,  had  trained 


98  THE    LIFE   AND   BEIGN 

them  to  the  science  of  war ;  but  it  had  also  taught 
them  to  appreciate  the  inestimable  blessings  of 
peace;  and,  for  ten  years,  they  had  carefully  and 
industriously  husbanded  all  their  resources,  and 
enjoyed,  in  consequence,  an  unusual  share  of  com- 
mercial prosperity.  The  financial  condition  of  the 
vast  empire  of  Nicholas  was  a  favourable  one.  The 
revenues  of  the  state,  at  the  period  of  his  accession, 
were  far  greater  than  they  had  ever  been  at  any 
previous  period. 

In  the  reign  of  Peter  the  Great  the  revenue  of 
the  Russian  government  was  60,000,000  rubles.* 
In  1770,  under  Catherine  II.,  the  revenue  was 
150,000,000  rubles.  Under  Alexander  L,  it  was 
200,000,000.  Under  Nicholas  L,  the  revenue 
amounted  to  500,000,000.  Before  the  present  war 
in  the  East  began,  the  Russian  public  debt  was 
320,000,000  rubles;  and  the  surplus  in  the  trea- 
sury, over  the  annual  expenditures  of  the  govern- 
ment, promised  soon  to  wipe  away  that  incum- 
brance,  which  had  been  entailed  by  the  wars  of 
Napoleon.  Thus  not  only  was  the  bankruptcy  of 
the  empire  an  impossible  thing ;  but  the  czar  could 
regard  himself  and  his  dominions  as  being  in  a 
state,  of  unusual  financial  prosperity. 

*  A  ruble  is  about  sixty  cents  of  our  currency. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  99 

In  addition  to  all  these  elements  of  strength  it 
is  necessary  to  add,  that  Nicholas  possessed  the 
support  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  the  hierarchy  in 
all  their  various  grades.  The  ecclesiastics  of  Rus- 
sia are  dependent  for  their  incomes  directly  upon 
the  throne.  From  the  great  archimandrid  of  St. 
Petersburg  down  to  the  lowest  sub-deacon  and 
sacristan,  all  derive  their  salaries  from  the  govern- 
ment. This,  of.  course,  makes  them  the  obse- 
quious servants  of  the  crown,  and  especially  where 
the  sovereign  took  special  measures — as  did  Nicho- 
las— to  proclaim  to  the  world  that  he  was  a  faith- 
ful son  of  the  Holy  Orthodox  Greek  Church;  the 
enthusiastic  support  tendered  him  by  the  hierarchy 
became  an  engine  of  immense  power.  The  priest- 
hood naturally  exercised  vast  influence  over  an 
ignorant  and  bigoted  populace;  and  the  subser- 
vient churchmen  willingly  taught  their  innumera- 
ble dupes,  to  regard  the  pious  czar  as  the  head  of 
the  church  on  earth,  as  the  representative  of  God 
himself,  and  even,  in  some  measure,  as  an  infe- 
rior divinity ! 

In  a  word,  Nicholas  I.  represented,  in  his  own 
person,  the  great  aggressive  and  conservative 
power  of  our  time.  After  the  downfall  of  Na- 
poleon, he  became  the  head  and  leader  of  the 
despotic  powers  of  Europe,  and  the  great  repre- 


100  THE   LIFE    AND    REIGN 

sentative  of  absolutism  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
Metternich,  Louis  Philippe,  Guizot,  even  "Windisch- 
gratz,  Jellachich,  and  Haynau,  were  indirectly  his 
agents  and  subordinates,  in  the  great  and  infa- 
mous work  of  rolling  back  the  advancing  tide  of 
human  freedom.  In  this  age  of  progress,  one 
man  thought  himself  powerful  enough  to  suppress 
the  upward  tendencies  of  the  whole  world,  and  that 
man  was  Nicholas  I. 

The  absolute  nature  of  his  power  in  his  own 
dominions  can  scarcely  be  credited.  He  was  the 
political  colossus  of  Europe — a  colossus  that  was 
not  only  powerful,  but  untrammelled,  and  free.  He 
possessed  the  absolute  control  of  life  and  death  over 
his  subjects.  By  a  single  nod,  he  could  enfran- 
chise and  disfranchise  them.  By  a  single  word, 
he  could  raise  them  from  poverty  to  opulence,  and 
degrade  them  from  opulence  to  poverty  again. 
His  iron  will,  unrestrained  by  a  single  restriction 
or  guarantee,  could  inflict  the  horrors  of  Siberia, 
the  agonies  of  the  knout,  and  the  penalties  of  in- 
famy and  dishonour,  upon  any  unfortunate  being 
who  might  incur  his  displeasure. 

Such  a  power,  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  one 
frail  mortal,  is  fearful  to  look  upon!  And  to  us, 
free-born  republicans,  who  acknowledge  no  man  on 
earth  as  master,  its  possession  seems  to  be  a  most 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  101 

execrable  and  detestable  outrage  oil  humanity ! 
And  the  truth  of  this  conviction  will  be  evinced, 
when,  at  a  later  stage  of  our  history,  it  becomes 
our  duty  to  relate  how  the  insane  and  haughty 
ambition  of  this  single  man,  threw  Europe  into  a 
most  dangerous,  ruinous,  and  expensive  war,  and 
caused  the  death  and  the  misery  of  several  millions 
of  his  fellow-creatures. 


I 


102  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CORONATION  OF  NICHOLAS  I. — THE  VAST  CROWDS  OF  PERSONS  AS- 
SEMBLED IN  MOSCOW  FKOM  VARIOUS  COUNTRIES  —  DESCRIPTION  OP 
THE  KREMLIN THE  IMPERIAL  PROCESSIONS THE  IMPOSING  CERE- 
MONIES IN  THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION THE  MANIFESTO 

PUBLISHED    BY  NICHOLAS    AFTER    HIS    CORONATION THE    CONTINUED 

FESTIVITIES,    BALLS,    AND    MASQUERADES    IN    MOSCOW — CONGRATULA- 
TIONS   THROUGHOUT    THE    EMPIRE. 

SUCH  were  the  powers  and  the  prerogatives  to 
whose  possession  Nicholas  I.  had  fallen  heir.  For 
various  reasons,  the  important  ceremony  of  his 
coronation  was  postponed  for  some  months.  At 
length  this  imposing  ceremony  took  place  at 
Moscow,  on  the  3d  of  September,  1826,  amid 
such  pomp  and  splendour  as  to  have  exceeded 
any  thing  recorded  in  the  previous  history  of  the 
nation.  Nicholas,  together  with  the  empress,  the 
empress-mother,  and  their  suites,  had  arrived  at 
Moscow  some  three  weeks  before.  They  had 
taken  up  their  residence  at  the  ancient  castle  and 
palace  of  the  Kremlin;  and  the  interval  between 
their  arrival  in  Moscow  and  the  ceremony  of  coro- 
nation, had  been  occupied  by  various  festivals,  both 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  103 

religious  and  social,  which  gave  the   occasion  the 
gay  appearance  of  a  general  carnival. 

This  august  occasion  had  drawn  together  to 
Moscow,  as  to  a  common  centre,  representatives 
of  all  the  various  races  which  were  subject  to  the 
powerful  sceptre  of  the  czars,  as  well  as  from  many 
other  countries  of  Europe  and  of  Asia.  The  streets 
of  the  city  were  crowded  with  a  vast  and  hetero- 
geneous multitude,  amounting  to  350,000  persons, 
although  the  usual  number  of  its  inhabitants  was 
only  half  as  great.  Various  regiments  of  soldiers, 
amounting  to  50,000  men,  were  stationed  in  and 
around  the  city,  and  mixed  together  with  its  numer- 
ous visitors. 

First,  St.  Petersburg  had  sent  a  large  and  splen- 
did delegation ;  all  the  greatest  families  of  that 
city  being  then  represented  at  Moscow.  The 
whole  corps  diplomatique  at  the  Russian  court  had 
transferred  themselves  from  the  modern  to  the 
ancient  capital.  Even  the  Pope  himself  had  ho- 
noured the  sovereign  and  the  occasion,  with  the 
presence  of  a  nuncio  of  high  rank.  There  were  to 
be  seen  great  ambassadors  from  the  monarchs  of 
the  remotest  countries  of  Asia, — from  the  King  of 
Siam,  from  the  Emperor  of  China,  from  the  Grand 
Lama  of  Thibet,  from  the  Great  Khan  of  Tartary, 
together  with  their  suites ; — sent  to  congratulate  the 


104  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

czar  on  this  happy  occasion ;  but  speaking  in  un- 
known tongues,  and  wearing  the  strange  yet  mag- 
nificent costumes  of  oriental  climes.  The  bold 
warriors  of  the  Caucasus  were  there,  sent  by  the 
illustrious  Shamyl,  at  that  time  the  friend  and  ally 
of  the  Russian  power.  There  were  to  be  seen,  ar- 
rayed in  the  peculiar  costumes  of  their  native  lands, 
representatives  from  Mongolia,  from  the  boundless 
steppes  of  the  Caspian,  from  the  base  of  the  Ural 
Mountains.  There,  conspicuous  among  many  others, 
was  Prince  Sartai,  Lord  of  the  Middle  Horde,  who 
dwelt  near  the  Sea  of  Aral ; — a  potentate,  ignorant 
and  contemptuous  of  European  manners  and  civiliza- 
tion ;  but  wearing  an  Oriental  dress  of  gorgeous 
splendour,  glittering  from  head  to  foot  with  dia- 
monds of  untold  value ;  and  proudly  bearing  in  his 
veins  the  blood  of  the  immortal  Ghengis  Khan. 
There,  were  representatives  from  the  banks  of  the 
Volga;  rude  Cossacks  from  the  Don;  the  perse- 
cuted, yet  unconquerable  Pole ;  the  rich  boyard  of 
Wallachia  and  Moldavia,  the  beautiful  Georgian, 
the  graceful  Circassian, — still  the  unwavering  ad- 
herents of  the  False  Prophet; — the  supple  Greek, 
and  even  the  dwarfish  and  skin-clad  Greenlander ; — 
all  were  there,  to  represent  remote,  unique,  and  re- 
markable races  of  men,  in  that  general  and  joyful 
assemblage  of  nations. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  105 

The  ceremony  of  the  coronation  of  Nicholas  was 
to  take  place  in  one  of  the  great  cathedrals  of  the 
Kremlin.  This  ancient  and  stupendous  monument 
of  the  power  and  resources  of  the  former  czars  of 
Muscovy,  consisted  of  a  vast  assemblage  of  for- 
tresses, palaces,  and  churches,  forming  a  city  within 
themselves.  Many  of  its  edifices  had  been  blown 
up  and  ruined,  at  the  period  of  the  invasion  of  Na- 
poleon; but  these  rude  ravages  of  war  had  since 
been  repaired,  and  the  Kremlin  had  been  restored 
to  its  pristine  splendour. 

The  interior  space  or  square  of  the  Kremlin  is 
occupied  by  three  immense  palaces,  several  con- 
vents and  monasteries,  and  four  magnificent  cathe- 
drals. The  palaces  are  the  Ancient  Palace  of  the 
Czars,  then  occupied  by  the  Holy  Synod,  the  Angu- 
lar Palace,  and  the  New  Palace,  in  which  Nicholas 
and  his  suite  were  entertained.  The  cathedrals 
were  those  of  St.  John,  in  the  centre,  surmounted 
by  the  vast  and  lofty  spire  of  Ivan ;  in  the  different 
stories  of  which,  were  chimes  of  bells  amounting  to 
thirty-two  in  number.  The  Cathedral  of  the  Annun- 
ciation was  adorned  with  nine  elegant  gilt  cupolas, 
exhibiting  more  of  Asiatic  than  of  European  archi- 
tecture. The  third  was  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Michael ; 
and  the  fourth,  the  largest  and  most  magnificent  of 
all,  was  that  of  the  Assumption.  It  was  in  this 


106  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

edifice  that  the  imposing  ceremony  of  the  corona- 
tion of  the  emperor  and  empress  was  to  take  place. 

At  sunrise  on  the  3d  of  September  the  great  bells 
of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  announced,  to  the  ex- 
pectant multitude,  the  dawning  of  that  illustrious 
day ;  and  immediately  the  welcome  signal  was  re- 
sponded to  by  the  bells  of  the  city,  whose  melo- 
dious sounds  were  instantly  wafted,  from  every 
quarter,  to  the  turreted  heights  of  the  Kremlin. 

The  imperial  cortege  passed  in  three  different  pro- 
cessions, from  the  ISTew  Palace,  to  the  Cathedral  of 
the  Assumption. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  first  procession  commenced  to 
move.  It  was  headed  by  the  empress-mother,  wear- 
ing a  crown  on  her  brow,  and  robed  in  the  imperial 
purple.  She  advanced  under  a  magnificent  canopy. 
She  was  followed  by  the  Grand  Duchess  Helena, 
magnificently  arrayed,  and  sparkling  with  jewels. 
Next  came  Prince  Charles  of  Prussia,  leading  by 
the  hand  the  youthful  Grand  Duke  Alexander,  then 
the  heir-apparent,  now  the  successor,  of  him  who 
was  that  day  to  be  crowned.  Last  of  all  came  the 
princes  of  the  "Wurtemberg  family,  of  Hesse-Hom- 
bourg,  the  Austrian  ambassador,  and  their  respect- 
ive suites. 

In  the  second  procession,  which  soon  followed, 
were  borne,  by  the  great  officers  of  the  crown,  the 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  107 

insignia  of  sovereign  authority,  including  the  two 
crowns,  the  sceptre,  the  globe,  the  standard  of  the 
imperial  eagle,  the  imperial  purple,  the  mantle,  and 
the  other  ornaments  intended  for  'the  empress. 
These  were  carried,  in  great  state,  to  the  Cathedral 
of  the  Assumption;  and  on  their  arriving  at  the 
gates  of  the  church  were  received  by  the  priests, 
enveloped  with  incense,  and  carried  by  them  to  the 
high  altar. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  the  third  procession  came  forth 
from  the  palace,  headed  by  the  emperor  in  person. 
He  was  arrayed  in  a  brilliant  uniform,  and  walked 
under  a  canopy  borne  by  sixteen  generals  of  divi- 
sions. He  was  bareheaded,  and  on  either  side  of 
him  were  the  Grand  Dukes  Constantine  and  Mi- 
chael. Next  followed  the  Empress  Alexandra, 
dressed  in  a  robe  of  silver  gauze.  She  was  followed 
by  her  ladies  of  honour,  by  eminent  persons  in  the 
state,  and  was  supported  by  General  de  Sacken 
and  Prince  Volkonski.  The  Council  of  the  Empire, 
the  cabinet  ministers,  the  senators,  and  high  mili- 
tary officers,  the  professors  of  the  University  of 
Moscow,  the  Chief  of  the  Corporation  of  Merchants, 
and  the  municipal  authorities  of  the  city,  then  fol- 
lowed. 

The  clergy,  headed  by  the  venerable  Archiman- 
drid  Seraphim,  who  was  entirely  arrayed  in  gold, 


108  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

advanced  from  the  gates  of  the  cathedral  to  meet 
the  emperor.  He  bore  a  jewelled  cross  in  his  hand. 
He  was  supported  on  either  side  by  the  Metro- 
politan of  Kief,  and  by  the  Archbishop  of  Moscow. 
Having  met  the  imperial  procession,  the  archi- 
mandrid  extended  the  "vivifying  cross"  to  Nicholas 
to  kiss ;  the  Archbishop  of  Moscow  made  a  short 
address ;  and  the  Metropolitan  of  Kief  sprinkled 
him  with  holy  water. 

Having  entered  the  temple,  Nicholas'  advanced 
and  took  his  seat  upon  a  throne,  on  the  right  of  the 
sanctuary,  under  a  brilliant  canopy.  The  empress 
was  conducted  to  another  throne,  to  the  right  of  her 
imperial  consort.  The  rest  of  the  procession  were 
distributed  in  appropriate  places  throughout  the 
edifice.  The  cathedral  was  crowded  to  excess,  by 
a  devout  and  serious  multitude.  Prominent  were 
the  clergy,  arrayed  in  their  most  splendid  robes. 
Oificers  in  glittering  uniforms  were  everywhere  to 
be  seen;  and  fair  women,  decked  in  their  most 
bewitching  smiles  and  elegant  toilets,  added  their 
fascination  to  the  brilliant  scene.  The  throne  on 
which  Nicholas  sat  was  called  the  throne  of  diamonds, 
being  literally  studded  with  precious  stones.  The 
throne  of  the  Empress  Alexandra  was  of  gold, 
inlaid  with  rubies,  pearls,  and  turquoises. 

The  solemn  service  at  length  began,  and  seraphic 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  109 

music  swelled  through  the  lofty  domes  of  the  cathe- 
dral, chanting  the  sublime  liturgy  of  the  Greek 
Church.  The  chanting  being  ended,  Seraphim  ad- 
vanced toward  the  emperor,  and  said,  "Most  pious 
and  great  Lord,  our  Emperor,  and  Autocrat  of  all 
the  Russias !  Since  by  the  will  of  God,  and  by 
virtue  of  your  command,  you  are  now  to  be  anointed 
with  the  holy  oil,  and  you  are  here  to  be  crowned, 
does  it  please  you  to  make  a  profession  of  the  Ca- 
tholic orthodox  faith  ?"  The  emperor  assented ; 
and  Seraphim  then  repeated  the  apostles'  creed, 
followed  by  the  monarch. 

The  imperial  ornaments  were  then  brought.  Ni- 
cholas received  them  from  the  Archbishop  of  Mos- 
cow, repeating,  "In  the  name  of  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost."  He  placed  the  crown 
on  the  emperor's  head ;  vested  him  with  the  purple 
mantle ;  placed  the  sceptre  in  his  right  hand,  and 
the  globe  in  his  left.  Various  religious  services 
then  followed,  of  great  solemnity  and  magnificence. 
Seraphim  then  approached  the  emperor,  and  said, 
"Thou  art  crowned  of  God,  thou  whom  he  has  fa- 
voured with  his  gifts,  and  adorned  with  his  grace, 
most  potent  autocrat  of  all  the  Russias ;  receive  the 
symbols  of  supreme  power  which  the  Most  High 
has  given  thee,  to  govern  thy  people,  and  secure  to 

them  every  desirable  felicity."     The  empress  was 

10 


110  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

then  arrayed  in  the  imperial  purple,  a  smaller  crown 
was  placed  upon  her  head,  by  the  emperor,  and  on 
her  neck  was  suspended  the  collar  of  St.  Andrew. 

The  religious  services  were  then  resumed.  The 
Metropolitan  of  Novogorod  preached  a  sermon. 
The  solemn  and  sublime  melody  of  the  Greek  ser- 
vice, executed  only  by  human  voices,  followed  the 
discourse.  The  Archimandrid  Seraphim  then  be- 
stowed his  benediction  on  the  sovereigns  and  on 
the  people ;  and  the  various  dignitaries,  civil,  mili- 
tary, and  ecclesiastical,  began  to  approach  the 
throne  of  the  czar  successively,  to  tender  to  him 
their  profound  and  respectful  homage.  When  the 
empress-mother  approached  her  son  to  offer  him  her 
congratulations,  he  advanced  and  supported  her  in 
his  arms ;  for  her  emotions  had  overcome  her,  and 
she  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground.  The  scene 
was  one  in  the  highest  degree  impressive  and 
affecting. 

All  the  orders  of  the  state  and  the  foreign  am- 
bassadors, having  in  turn  offered  their  homage  to 
the  czar,  the  archimandrid  again  blessed  the  vast 
assemblage ;  and  while  the  sublime  strains  of  the 
"Gloria  in  Excdsis"  were  reverberating  through  the 
temple,  the  emperor  and  attendants  arose,  and  re- 
turned back  in  the  same  order  in  which  they  had 
entered  the  church,  to  the  New  Palace  of  the  Czars. 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  Ill 

That  night  Moscow  was  brilliantly  illuminated. 
The  white  walls  of  the  Kremlin  were  adorned  with 
stars  and  luminous  festoons,  which  also  decked 
the  spires  of  the  cathedrals  even  up  to  their  taper- 
ing summits.  The  vast  banqueting  rooms  of  the 
Kremlin  were  filled  with  guests.  The  whole  city 
gave  itself  up  to  festivity  and  joy.  For  fifteen  days 
after  the  coronation,  these  festivities,  balls,  and 
parades  continued.  Mcholas  published  a  mani- 
festo, in  which  he  proclaimed  his  son  Alexander, 
the  present  czar,  his  successor.  He  conferred 
orders  and  dignities  on  his  most  deserving  sub- 
jects. He  extended  pardon  to  many  who  were 
imprisoned;  and  he  gave  the  surest  presage  of  a 
prosperous  and  fortunate  reign,  which  the  uncer- 
tainty of  all  human  affairs  can  be  supposed  to 
allow,  in  the  universal  joy  and  congratulations  of 
his  subjects,  and  in  the  contentment  with  which 
they  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  the  power, 
thus  established  over  them.* 

*  Vide  M.  Ancelot's  Six  Mois  en  Russie,  p.  375,  et  seq. 


112  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  ACCESSION  OF  NICHOLAS  RECOGNISED  BY  THE  COUBTS  OF  EUROPE — 

NICHOLAS    DECLARES   WAR    AGAINST    PERSIA PREPARATIONS    OF    THE 

SHAH ABBAS    MIRZA PASKIEWITZ   APPOINTED    TO    THE  COMMAND  OF 

THE    RUSSIAN    ARMIES BATTLES    BETWEEN    THE    RUSSIAN    AND    PER- 
SIAN FORCES THE    SHAH    SUES    FOR  PEACE — THE  TERMS  IMPOSED  BY 

NICHOLAS THEY  ARE   ACCEPTED  BY  THE   SHAH TREATIES   BETWEEN 

RUSSIA   AND    TURKEY. 

ON  the  return  of  Nicholas  to  St.  Petersburg, 
after  the  ceremony  of  his  coronation,  he  was  waited 
on  by  ambassadors  extraordinary  from  all  the  courts 
of  Europe,  for  the  purpose  of  congratulating  him 
on  the  celebration  of  that  event.  Among  the  num- 
ber of  these  was  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  re- 
presentative* of  His  Britannic  Majesty.  During  the 
interviews  between  him  and  Count  Nesselrode,  it 
became  apparent  that  the  youthful  czar  did  not 
inherit  the  peaceful  sentiments  of  his  predecessor; 
but  that  his  mighty  hand  was  already  beginning  to 
draw  the  dark  clouds  of  aggressive  and  unprin- 
cipled war,  over  the  troubled  horizon  of  the  East. 

In  fact,  no  sooner  was  Nicholas  firmly  seated  on 
his  throne  than  he  commenced  one  of  the  most 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  113 

remarkable  reigns  recorded  in  history;  one  de- 
voted entirely  to  two  great  objects.  The  first  was 
the  perfecting  of  all  the  details  of  despotic  govern- 
ment in  his  own  vast  dominions;  and  the  second 
was  the  aggrandisement  of  his  power  by  diplomacy, 
and,  where  diplomacy  failed,  by  all  the  horrors  of 
unprovoked  invasion  and  war.  This  unchanging 
policy  began,  as  we  shall  narrate,  in  1826,  and  was 
continued  by  Nicholas  for  thirty  years  without  ces- 
sation, until  the  period  of  his  death. 

The  new  czar  having  returned  to  his  capital,  his 
first  public  official  act  was  to  declare  war  against 
Persia. 

A  man  as  sagacious  as  Nicholas  could  not  be 
•without  specious  pretexts  for  this  unwarrantable 
act.  Although  a  treaty  then  existed  between  the 
two  nations,  and  nominal  amity,  there  was  no  real 
confidence  or  good  feeling.  It  will  have  been 
observed  that,  among  the  many  representatives  of 
various  countries  who  were  present  at  Moscow,  at 
the  coronation  of  Nicholas,  there  were  none  from 
Persia  and  Turkey. 

The  absence  of  this  act  of  adulation  on  the  part 
of  the  Shah  was  one  ground  for  offence.  The  other 
was  as  follows.  On  the  26th  of  October,  1813, 
Alexander  I.  had  concluded  the  treaty  of  Gulis- 

10* 


114  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

tan  with  the  Shah  of  Persia ;  one  of  the  ambigu- 
ous conditions  of  which  was,  that  either  of  the  two 
contracting  parties  should  have  the  right  to  en- 
large its  territorial  possessions,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, on  condition  that  they  indemnified  the 
party  injured. 

By  virtue  of  this  Singular  stipulation,  Nicholas 
proceeded  to  occupy  the  coast  of  Lake  Goktcha; 
and  he  offered  to  Persia,  by  way  of  indemnifica- 
tion for  this  aggression,  the  territory  which  lies 
between  the  rivers  Capunaktchay  and  the  Tchudof. 
This  exchange  the  Shah  refused  to  accept,  inas- 
much as  the  one  province  was  no  equivalent  for 
the  other. 

Receiving  information  that  the  Shah  resisted  this 
new  arrangement,  Nicholas  declared  war  against 
him  on  the  28th  of  September,  1826.  He  imme- 
diately ordered  immense  bodies  of  troops  to  march 
toward  the  Persian  territory,  and  hostilities  began 
at  once.  The  Elian  of  Talychyn  attacked  the  Rus- 
sian garrison  of  Erivan,  took  the  place  by  storm, 
and  massacred  the  troops.  Abbas  Mirza,  the  heir- 
apparent  to  the  Persian  throne,  invaded  the  pro- 
vince of  Elizabethpol  with  an  army  of  fifty  thou- 
sand regular  troops.  On  his  approach,  the  Mussul- 
man tribes  of  the  Caucasus,  who  hated  the  Russian 
yoke,  rose  and  joined  his  standards. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  115 

A  battle  was  fought  between  the  vanguard  of 
the  Persian  army,  and  the  Russian  forces  under  the 
command  of  General  Madatof,  on  the  14th  of  De- 
cember, in  which  the  Persians  were  defeated,  and 
the  Russians  took  possession  of  the  town  of  Eliza- 
bethpol.  On  the  21st  of  December,  General  Pas- 
kiewitz  advanced  with  the  main  portion  of  the  Rus- 
sian army,  and  a  great  battle  was  fought  between 
them  and  the  Persian  troops  under  Abbas  Mirza,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  Djeham.  After  a  desperate 
conflict  the  Persians  were  again  defeated,  and  they 
then  repassed  the  Araxes. 

General  Paskiewitz  was  now  appointed  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  Russian  forces  in  Persia, 
in  place  of  Yermoloff ;  and  Benkendorf  succeeded 
Madatof  in  the  command  of  the  vanguard.  In 
April,  1827,  another  great  battle  was  fought  be- 
tween the  Persian  army,  commanded  by  Abbas 
Mirza,  and  the  Russians  under  Paskiewitz ;  in 
which,  notwithstanding  the  desperate  valour  of  the 
Persians,  and  their  superhuman  exertions,  they  were 
again  defeated  by  the  superior  discipline  of  the 
Russians,  and  by  their  more  effective  and  power- 
ful artillery.  In  this  battle  of  Bulak,  the  Russians 
captured  the  celebrated  "victorious  standard"  of 
Persia;  and,  in  July,  1827,  so  completely  had  the 
skilful  manoBuvres  of  Paskiewitz  hemmed  in  his 


116  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

foe,  that  his  troops  surrendered  at  last  as  prison- 
ers, though  their  commander  escaped. 

Other  serious  disasters  followed  on  the  side  of 
the  Persians.  They  besieged  Etchmiadzin,  but  on 
the  approach  of  Paskiewitz  were  compelled  to  raise 
the  siege.  Another  Persian  army,  under  Sardar 
Abbas,  surrendered  to  the  Russians  after  another 
signal  defeat.  On  the  13th  of  October  Erivan  was 
occupied  by  the  Russian  army,  after  a  siege  of  six 
days.  On  the  25th,  the  city  of  Tauris  was  com- 
pelled to  capitulate,  and  soon  after  Abi-jar-kan  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  triumphant  invaders. 

This  remarkable  series  of  prodigious  successes 
compelled  the  Persians  humbly  to  sue  for  terms  of 
peace.  It  was  hopeless  and  ruinous  on  their  part, 
to  continue  the  struggle  against  a  power  so  supe- 
rior as  Russia  was  to  Persia.  It  may  readily  be 
supposed,  that  the  demands  set  forth  by  Nicholas, 
when  he  found  his  late  foe  a  suppliant  at  his  feet, 
were  sufficiently  exacting  and  rigorous. 

He  demanded,  as  the  price  of  peace,  that  the  pro- 
vinces of  Erivan  and  Nukchivan  should  be  ceded 
to  the  Russian  crown ;  and  that  Persia  should  pay 
twenty  millions  of  silver  roubles  as  an  indemnifi- 
cation for  the  expenses  of  the  war. 

Hard  as  these  conditions  were,  the  Shah  was  com- 
pelled, after  three  months'  delay,  to  accept  them.  On 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  117 

the  22d  of  February,  1828,  the  treaty  was  signed  at 
Turkmantchai.  The  provinces  thus  ceded  to  Russia, 
were  large  and  valuable.  They  included  the  vast 
fortifications  of  Erivan  and  Nukchivan.  The  sacri- 
fice made  by  Persia  was  immense ;  but  necessity 
compelled  her  to  submit  to  the  iron  hand  of  the 
conqueror.  The  abilities  displayed  by  General  Pas- 
kiewitz  during  this  campaign,  contributed  essen- 
tially to  the  success  of  the  Russian  arms.  He  was 
splendidly  rewarded  for  his  services  by  the  gratified 
emperor.  He  received  a  million  of  rubles  in  money, 
and  the  title  of  Prince  of  Erivan. 

The  spirit  of  unprincipled  aggression  which  cha- 
racterized the  conduct  of  Nicholas  during  this  war 
is  seen  from  the  following  incident.  In  the  pro- 
vince of  Nukchivan,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Araxes, 
is  the  fortress  of  Abbasabad,  constructed  by  a  French 
engineer  in  the  service  of  Abbas  Mirza.  Not  con- 
tent with  the  fortress,  Nicholas  demanded  possession 
of  an  unfinished  work  intended  for  a  tete-du-pont  on 
the  opposite  bank ;  which  he  represented  as  a  part  of 
the  fortress,  although  no  bridge  had  yet  been  con- 
structed across  the  river.  The  Persian  plenipoten- 
tiary having  ceded  this  unfinished  work,  the  con- 
cession was  made  the  ground  of  another  demand 
still  more  unjust.  It  was  contended  that  the  tete-du- 
pont  required  an  esplanade;  and  the  segment  of  a 


118  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

circle  with  a  radius  of  two  miles  was  demanded,  and 
at  length  granted,  for  that  purpose,  on  that  bank  of 
the  river  which  remained  in  the  possession  of  Persia ! 

By  this  treaty  of  Turkmantchai,  Persia  was  bound 
to  another  ignominious  stipulation ;  which  was,  that 
she  was  not  to  maintain  any  fleet  on  the  Caspian ; 
and  that  Russia  was  to  possess  the  exclusive  right 
henceforth  to  continue  her  navy  in  that  sea.  The 
treaty  affirms  that  this  prescriptive  right  Russia  had 
possessed  ab  antiquo; — an  antiquity  which  extended 
for  the  space  of  thirteen  years  back,  until  the  treaty 
of  Glulistan,  in  which,  it  is  affirmed,  that  right  of 
Russia  had  been  first  ambiguously  asserted  and 
recognised.  Thus  concluded  the  first  war  in  which 
Nicholas  was  engaged, — one  in  which  he  had  been 
signally  triumphant,  and  had  compelled  the  suc- 
cessor of  the  ancient  Cyrus  and  Darius,  to  make  the 
most  ignominious  concessions,  and  to  endure  the 
most  ruinous  exactions. 

His  relations  to  Persia  being  thus  settled,  Nicholas 
next  turned  his  attention  to  the  affairs  of  Turkey. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1826,  before  his  departure 
from  St.  Petersburg,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  in 
behalf  of  the  king  of  England,  signed  with  Count 
Nesselrode  the  first  protocol  in  reference  to  the 
affairs  of  Greece ;  and  that  protocol  eventually  led  to 
the  consummation  of  two  important  treaties.  The 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  119 

* 

one  of  these  was  the  convention  of  Akerman,  by 
which  the  sultan  bound  himself  to  the  czar,  to  grant 
to  the  principalities  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia,  all 
the  rights  promised  them  in  the  hatti-sheriff  of  1802 ; 
to  satisfy  the  private  claims  of  Russian  subjects  on 
the  Turkish  government ;  to  allow  the  most  perfect 
liberty  to  Russian  commerce  in  the  Black  Sea,  and 
in  the  Mediterranean ;  and  that  Turkey  should  give 
up  all  pretension  to  the  various  forts  conquered  by 
the  Russians  beyond  the  Caucasus  in  the  former  war. 

The  other  treaty  made  was  between  England, 
France,  and  Russia.  By  it  the  mediation  of  France 
and  England  was  proposed  between  Russia  and 
Turkey,  and  it  was  determined,  that  if  within  a 
month  the  sultan  had  not  accepted  this  uncalled-for 
intervention,  the  three  powers  would  at  once  take 
the  affairs  of  Greece  into  their  own  hands,  and  esta- 
blish the  independence  of  that  country  of  the  rule 
of  the  sultan. 

The  sultan  regarded  the  proclamation  of  that 
treaty  as  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  war;  and  he 
began  immediately  to  repair  the  fortifications  of 
Constantinople.  A  great  naval  battle  was  soon 
fought  between  the  belligerents,  at  Navarino,  in 
which  England  crushed  the  fleet  of  the  sultan.  In 
so  doing,  his  Britannic  majesty  was  only  acting  as 
the  tool  of  Russia,  and  promoting  the  aggrandize- 


120  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

ment  of  the  czar;  inasmuch  as  the  destruction  of 
the  fleet  of  the  sultan  rendered  Nicholas  the  undis- 
puted master  of  the  Black  Sea.  The  English  and 
French  cabinets  discovered  the  game  wfcich  was  so 
adroitly  played  by  Nicholas,  when,  after  the  battle 
of  Navarino,  Nicholas  proposed  that  the  Russian 
armies  should  occupy  Moldavia  and  'Wallachia  in 
the  name  of  the  three  powers;  and  even  march 
upon  Constantinople  and  dictate  terms  of  peace 
under  the  very  walls  of  the  Seraglio.  To  this  in- 
terested proposition  the  two  duped  powers  refused 
to  accede.  Then  it  was,  that  the  crafty  Nicholas 
boldly  declared,  that  in  the  manner  of  executing  the 
treaty  of  London  between  the  three  powers,  Russia 
would  consult  her  own  interests  and  convenience ; 
and  would  henceforth  act  independently  of  the 
advice  and  co-operation  of  her  allies.  So  much 
faithlessness  did  Nicholas  already  display,  in  the 
execution  of  solemn  treaties,  even  with  Christian 
and  friendly  powers ! 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  121 


CHAPTER  XL 

NICHOLAS  DECLARES  WAR  AGAINST  THE  SULTAN — HE  VISITS  IN  PERSON 
THE  ARMY  STATIONED  ON  THE  PRUTH — ATTACK  OF  THE  RUSSIANS 
ON  SHUMtA — THEIR  DEFEAT — THEY  CAPTURE  VARNA — MENCHIKOFF — 
CAMPAIGN  OF  1829 — ENERGY  OF  GENERAL  DIEBITSCH — THE  CAPTURE 
OF  SILISTRIA  BY  THE  RUSSIANS — THE  MARCH  ACROSS  THE  BALKAN 
MOUNTAINS — SIEGE  OF  ADRIANOPLE — SINGULAR  IMBECILITY  OF  THE 
TURKISH  GENERALS — MEMORABLE  TREATY  OF  ADRIANOPLE. 

IN  truth,  Nicholas  was  only  seeking  for  a  plausi- 
ble pretext  to  justify  an  unprovoked  invasion  of  the 
territories  of  the  sultan.  He  had  already,  at  the 
period  of  his  accession,  formed  certain  ambitious 
purposes  in  reference  to  that  country;  and  it  was 
now  time  to  commence  -the  vast  work  of  developing 
and  accomplishing  them. 

On  the  26th  of  August,  1828,  war  was  declared  by 
Nicholas  against  the  sultan.  As  an  excuse  for  so 
doing  he  asserted,  in  a  manifesto  published  at  the 
same  time,  that  the  Divan  had  stimulated  the  Cir- 
cassians to  revolt;  that  they  had  interfered  with  the 
commerce  of  Russia  in  the  Black  Sea ;  and  that  they 
had  endeavoured  to  renew  the  difficulties  between 

that  country  and  Persia.     That  these  reasons  were 

11 


122 


THE    LIFE   AND    RE  ION 


mere  subterfuges,  may  readily  be  inferred,  both 
from  the  previous  and  the  subsequent  conduct  of 
the  czar. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war, — the 
first  war  which  was  destined  to  take  place  between 
the  czar  and  the  sultan, — Nicholas'  determined  to  be 
present  in  person  in  the  camp  of  the  invading  army. 
He  repaired  instantly  from  St.  Petersburg  to  the 
army  of  one  hundred  thousand  men,  commanded  by 
Field-Marshal  Wittgenstein,  which  was  stationed  on 
the  river  Pruth,  the  dividing  line  between  Russia 
and  Turkey.  On  leaving  St.  Petersburg,  the  czar  at- 
tended divine  service  in  the  temple  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul,  surrounded  by  the  whole  court;  and  fer- 
vent prayers  were  offered  for  the  success  of  the  arms 
of  the  young  monarch,  against  the  power  of  the 
haughty  infidel,  the  foe,  both  of  the  throne  and  the 
religion  of  the  empire. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  the  Russian  army  crossed  the 
Pruth.  Yassy  and  Buckharest,  the  capitals  of  Mol- 
davia and  Wallachia,  were  immediately  occupied; 
and  the  two  principalities  placed  under  the  military 
government  of  Count  Pahlen.  General  Paskiewitz, 
about  the  same  period,  attacked  and  took  the  city  of 
Kars,  together  with  the  fortress  of  Poti.  These 
victories  were  followed  up,  on  the  4th  of  September, 
by  the  capture  of  the  city  of  Akhalzik. 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  123 

The  great  army  of  the  czar,  under  "Wittgenstein, 
now  numbering  150,000  men,  continued  to  advance 
into  the  Turkish  territory;  and  on  the  8th  of  June, 
1828,  having  crossed  the  Danube  at  Satunovo,  near 
its  mouth,  it  at  once  approached  the  city  of  Shumla. 
The  situation  of  the  fortifications  of  this  city, 
placed  on  a  high  and  precipitous  range  of  rocky 
eminences,  rendered  their  assault  one  of  great 
difficulty.  Their  position  seems  as  if  intended 
by  nature  for  an  intrenched  camp.  The  extent  of 
the  works  is  about  8000  paces,  and  they  were 
defended  by  a  very  deep  ditch.  The  Russians 
advanced  to  the  attack  with  great  confidence. 
The  place  is  approachable  only  through  marshes 
and  ravines.  The  attack  was  commenced  and 
continued  by  Wittgenstein  with  extraordinary 
fury;  but  he  met  with  an  unexpected  degree  of 
fortitude  and  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Turks. 
The  Russians,  led  on  by  Nicholas  in  person,  were 
brought  up  repeatedly  to  the  attack,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose. Meantime  the  besieging  and  blockading 
force  began  rapidly  to  dwindle  away  under  the 
effect  of  sickness  and  exposure  to  the  heat.  Dar- 
ing the  months  of  July  and  August,  15,000  men 
fell  victims  to  disease  and  the  climate.  On  the 
10th  of  September,  hearing  of  the  advance  of  the 
grand  vizier  with  an  army  of  15,000  picked  men  for 


124  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

the  relief  of  Shumla,  the  Russians  withdrew  from 
that  city. 

They  were  more  successful  iu  their  attack  upon 
the  city  of  Varna.  Menchikoff  had  laid  siege  to 
this  fortress  with  a  large  army  on  the  6th  of 
August.  But  after  the  forces  which  had  at- 
tempted the  capture  of  Shumla  were  despatched  to 
the  assistance  of  the  army  of  Menchikoff,  the  pros- 
pects and  the  valour  of  the  besieged  became  at 
once  utterly  hopeless.  Besides,  the  position  of 
Varna  was  less  favourable  for  defence,  and  the 
works  were  inferior  in  strength,  to  those  of  the 
latter  fortress.  But  even  then  a  successful  re- 
sistance might  probably  have  been  made  by  the 
Turks,  were  it  not  for  the  fact,  that  the  unac- 
countable apathy  and  want  of  energy  which  were 
displayed  by  the  Turkish  generals,  afford  satisfac- 
tory proof  that  treason  and  bribery  had  much  to 
do  with  deciding  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  On  the 
llth  of  October,  Jussuf  Pasha,  the  commandant  of 
Varna,  surrendered  to  the  Russian  general;  and 
with  this  successful  event,  on  the  side  of  the  in- 
vaders, the  campaign  of  1828  terminated. 

As  soon  as  Varna  was  occupied  by  his  victorious 
troops,  Nicholas  returned  as  a  conqueror,  crowned 
with  laurels  and  trophies  of  triumph,  to  his  exult- 
ing capital.  His  whole  journey,  from  the  seat  of 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE  FIRST.  125 

war,  seemed  like  a  triumphal  procession;  and  on 
his  arrival  at  St.  Petersburg,  congratulations,  festi- 
vals, and  acclamations,  long  and  rapturous,  awaited 
him  from  the  obsequious  inhabitants,  the  court,  and 
the  diplomatic  corps,  who  dwelt  in  that  city. 

The  campaign  of  1829  opened  under  unfavour- 
able auspices  for  Russia ;  and  yet  it  terminated,  quite 
unaccountably,  in  one  of  the  most  fortunate  trea- 
ties—  the  treaty  of  Adrianople  —  which  had  ever 
been  consummated  by  Russia. 

During  the  previous  campaign,  the  czar  having 
been  present  in  the  camp,  the  commanders  of  the 
Russian  forces  were  placed  under  a  most  disagree- 
able restraint.  They  did  not  dare  to  refuse  the 
utmost  obedience  to  the  suggestions  of  the  sove- 
reign ;  and  yet,  they  often  were  convinced  that 
those  suggestions  were  unwise  and  imprudent. 
Thus  the  inconsiderate  haste  and  urgency  of  the 
czar  pccasioned  the  loss  of  1400  men,  in  attacking 
Omar  Vrione  on  the  heights  of  Kurtesse ;  although 
the  general  in  command  strongly  remonstrated 
against  the  hazardous  temerity  of  the  attack. 

No  such  disadvantage  as  this  operated  against 
the  efficiency  of  the  Russian  generals  in  1829 ;  and 
as  soon  as  spring  opened,  General  Diebitsch  dis- 
played his  usual  energy,  in  the  complete  reorgani- 

zat  ion  of  the  army.    He  was  now  at  liberty  to  act 

11* 


126  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

purely  on  strategic  grounds.  lie  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  68,000  men ;  but  many  of  these  troops 
were  unfit  for  service,  in  consequence  of  the  severe 
suffering  which  they  had  undergone  during  the  pre- 
ceding year.  The  greatest  difficulties  were  presented 
in  the  commissariat  department.  Thousands  of 
wagons  were  necessary  for  the  service  of  the  army, 
which  were  to  be  drawn  by  oxen.  .  On  the  south- 
ern side  of  the  Balkan  Mountains,  over  which  he 
must  pass,  it  was  necessary  to  provide  camels  from 
Asia,  to  transport  the  provisions. 

But  the  unconquerable  energy  of  General  Die- 
bitsch,  who  now  held  the  supreme  command,  over- 
came every  difficulty.  On  the  side  of  the  Turks 
the  most  unaccountable  apathy  and  inactivity  pre- 
vailed. They  neglected  to  repair  the  works  of 
Silistria, — damaged  as  they  were  by  time,  and  by 
the  various  assaults  which  they  had  withstood  in 
successive  sieges.  And  yet  the  value  of  this  fortress 
to  the  Turks  was  incalculable. 

General  Diebitsch  arrived  before  Silistria  on  the 
17th  of  May,  and  immediately  commenced  a  vigor- 
ous assault  upon  the  works.  The  Turks  defended 
themselves  with  great  bravery.  The  greatest  defect 
on  their  side  appears  to  have  been,  not  want  of 
fortitude  or  resolution  in  the  soldiery,  but  want  of 
skill  and  military  talents  in  their  commanders. 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.  127 

The  place  was  finally  taken  by  means  of  the  vast 
mining  and  countermining,  which  were  successfully 
conducted  by  the  besiegers.  The  efforts  of  the 
Turks  to  resist  the  approaches  of  the  Russians,  dis- 
played excessive  want  of  skill  in  this  department 
of  military  science.  Their  countermines  either  did 
not  explode  at  all,  or  else  they  exploded  at  the 
wrong  time  and  place,  and  accomplished  no  good. 
For  six  weeks,  however,  the  Turks  defended  the 
mouldering  ramparts  of  the  place ;  and  displayed  on 
many  occasions  the  old  heroism  and  desperate  va- 
lour of  the  Moslem  warrior. 

At  length,  however,  the  vigorous  attacks  of  the 
besiegers,  and  the  want  of  provisions  in  the  garri- 
son, overcame  the  resistance  of  the  Turks ;  and,  on 
the  30th  of  June,  Silistria  capitulated,  and  was 
invested  by  the  Russian  army,  on  condition  that 
the  garrison  were  to  march  out,  in  possession  of 
their  arms  and  ammunition. 

Having  obtained  possession  of  Silistria,  the  next 
step  on  the  part  of  the  Russians,  was  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Balkan  Mountains,  which  intercepted 
their  route  toward  Adrianople  and  Constantinople. 
These  ranges  of  mountains  were  spread  over  a  vast 
extent  of  territory,  and  the  march  across  them  was 
several  hundred  miles  in  extent.  The  passes  in 
the  mountains  were  frequently  deep  gorges,  which 


128  THE    LIFE   AND  REIGN 

might  have  been  defended  with  great  success  by 
the  Turks,  had  they  been  disposed  to  exert  them- 
selves to  do  so.  But  here  again,  the  unaccount- 
able apathy  of  the  Turkish  commanders,  in  not 
defending  the  passes  of  the  Balkan,  has  given  rise 
to  the  powerful  suspicion,  that  the  servants  of  the 
sultan  had  been  bribed,  by  the  gold  of  the  invaders, 
to  facilitate  their  advance. 

Previous  to  entering  on  this  memorable  march, 
the  Russians  were  compelled  to  meet  the  Turks  in 
one  great  battle.  This  was  the  battle  of  Kosleftcha, 
fought  on  the  llth  of  July.  On  this  occasion,  Die- 
bitsch  met  the  Turkish  forces,  under  the  command 
of  the  grand  vizier  in  person.  It  was  the  most 
furiously-contested  conflict  in  the  whole  war.  The 
Turks  rushed  to  the  attack  with  prodigious  hero- 
ism and  resolution.  Their  onslaught  on  the  Rus- 
sian lines  displayed  such  ferocity,  and  determina- 
tion to  conquer  or  to  die,  as  to  have  recalled  to 
mind,  the  most  renowned  displays  of  Moslem  va- 
lour in  the  most  illustrious  period  of  their  annals. 
But  after  a  conflict  of  some  hours,  the  superior 
military  skill  of  the  Russian  general  again  became 
apparent,  and  the  troops  of  the  grand  vizier,  be- 
coming entangled  in  the  woods  which  flanked  their 
lines,  became  confused  and  unmanageable.  The 
route  soon  became  general,  and  the  troops  of  the 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.  129 

Turks  fled  on  all  sides,  leaving  their  camp,  their 
ammunition,  and  the  victory,  in  the  hands  of  their 
opponents. 

While  these  operations  were  going  on,  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  Russian  territory,  Diebitsch  had  ordered 
a  naval  force  to  sail  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a 
dep6t  on  the  Black  Sea;  where  his  troops,  after 
having  effected  the  passage  of  the  Balkan  range, 
might  find  temporary  security  and  refreshment. 
For  this  purpose,  Simboli,  a  port  of  the  Black  Sea, 
had  been  taken  by  a  naval  coup-de-main.  It  became 
a  dep6t  for  the  accumulation  of  provisions  and  am- 
munition for  the  use  of  the  Russian  army,  after 
their  passage  of  the  Balkan,  and  as  such,  its  pos- 
session was  one  of  the  most  fortunate  and  valuable 
events  of  the  campaign. 

The  range  of  the  Balkan  Mountains  had  been  re- 
garded for  four  centuries,  as  the  great  bulwark  of 
the  Ottoman  Empire,  against  the  invasion  of  its 
northern  foes.  It  was  presumed  that  their  vast  ex- 
tent, and  the  difficulties  and  perils  which  attended 
the  passage  of  an  army  through  their  numerous, 
narrow,  and  dangerous  gorges,  when  properly  de- 
fended, formed  a  barrier  and  a  defence,  which  would 
preclude  the  possibility  of  a  successful  attack  from 
that  quarter.  The  amazing  apathy  and  ignorance 
of  the  Turkish  commanders,  Hussein  Pasha,  and 


130  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

Redschid  Pasha,  on  this  occasion  rendered  this  cal- 
culation fallacious.  Diebitsch  divided  his  forces 
into  four  divisions.  The  first,  under  General  Kras- 
sewski,  was  left  to  watch  Shumla,  the  only  fortress 
still  remaining  in  the  possession  of  the  Turks,  north 
of  the  Balkan ;  the  second,  under  General  Roth, 
was  ordered  to  pass  along  the  road  from  Varna  to 
Burgas ;  the  third,  under  Rudiger,  was  to  cross  the 
mountains  from  Pravadi  to  Aidos ;  and  the  fourth, 
under  Count  Pahlen,  was  to  operate  as  a  reserve  to 
the  two  preceding  divisions.  On  the  18th  of  July 
the  passage  began.  The  soldiers  marched  in  linen 
trousers  and  in  uniform,  carrying  in  their  knapsacks, 
a  single  shirt  and  a  pair  of  trousers,  together  with 
provisions  for  ten  days.  All  other  baggage  was 
left  behind.  The  Russian  commander-in-chief  ex- 
pected to  meet  a  vigorous  and  perilous  resistance  to 
his  passage  over  the  mountains ;  but  in  this  natural 
supposition  he  was  disappointed.  It  is  true  that  on 
several  occasions,  when  the  nature  of  the  ground 
permitted,  the  Turkish  troops  were  brought  into 
battle  against  the  invading  army.  Thus,  the  grard 
vizier  attacked  the  division  of  General  Rudiger, 
when  they  approached  Aidos ;  but  the  Turks  soon 
fled  with  the  utmost  precipitation,  and  their  tents, 
provisions,  and  ammunition,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Russians.  Thus  also,  at  Jamboli,  a  detachment 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  131 

of  one  thousand  Russians  was  attacked  by  a  Turkish 
corps  fifteen  thousand  strong ;  but  instead  of  having 
been  cut  to  pieces,  as  they  expected,  they  success- 
fully resisted  their  assailants,  who  eventually  retired 
toward  Adrianople. 

At  length,  on  the  19th  of  August,  the  Russian 
army,  having  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Balkan 
Mountains  with  infinitely  less  peril  and  losses  than 
they  had  anticipated,  were  greeted  with  the  sight  of 
the  four  lofty  minarets  of  the  Sultan  Selim's  Mosque, 
which  tower  above  the  palaces  and  fortifications 
of  Adrianople.  They  approached  that  city  as  con- 
querors, and  their  presence  struck  terror  into  the 
hearts  of  the  pusillanimous  and  dismayed  Moslems. 

At  the  time  the  Russians  appeared  before  the 
walls  of  this  city,  it  contained  about  twenty  thou- 
sand combatants;  and  detachments  from  various 
portions  of  the  Turkish  Empire  were  hastening  to 
its  assistance.  So  much  reduced  by  the  various 
casualties  of  war  had  the  army  of  Diebitsch  be- 
come, that,  on  arriving  before  Adrianople,  and 
ascertaining  that  relief  was  rapidly  approaching  it, 
his  first  thought  was  a  precipitate  retreat.  But 
before  executing  this  purpose,  he  determined  to  try 
the  eifect  of  negotiation  on  the  commandant  of  the 
fortifications.  He  was  at  once  astounded  at  the 
manner  in  which  his  tenders  were  received.  The 


132  THE   LIFE   AND    KEIGN 

Turks,  beholding  the  army  of  the  invaders  en- 
camped in  the  plain  around  the  city,  after  having 
successfully  triumphed  over  the  perils  of  the  Balkan, 
were  overcome  with  terror,  and  regarded  the  army 
of  Diebitsch  as  an  invincible  force  calculated  to  ex- 
cite the  utmost  apprehensions.  Thus,  the  Russian 
general,  by  carefully  concealing  his  weakness;  by 
hiding  from  view  the  fact  that  by  sickness,  and  other 
losses,  his  army  had  at  last  been  actually  reduced  to 
20,000  effective  men ;  by  assuming  the  most  arro- 
gant tone  of  superiority ;  and  by  acting  on  the  fears 
and  the  ignorance  of  the  Turks,  succeeded,  to  his 
own  surprise,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  all  who 
were  acquainted  with  the  real  condition  and  rela- 
tive strength  of  the  parties,  in  negotiating  the 
celebrated  treaty  of  Adrianople,  which  terminated 
the  war,  and  which  won  for  Russia  the  most  extra- 
ordinary and  monstrous  concessions  from  the  re- 
presentatives of  the  sultan. 

By  the  treaty  of  Adrianople,  Nicholas  obtained 
every  thing  which  he  then  thought  it  prudent  to  de- 
mand from  the  sultan.  By  it,  he  acquired  Anapa 
and  Poti,  together  with  a  very  considerable  extent 
of  territory  on  the  Black  Sea.  He  obtained  a  por- 
tion of  the  pashalic  of  Akhilsha,  together  with  the 
fortresses  of  Akhilsha  and  Akhilkillae,  and  the  pos- 
session of  the  valuable  islands  which  stud  the  mouth 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  133 

of  the  Danube.  He  stipulated  for  the  destruction 
of  the  Turkish  fortress  of  Giurgievo ;  and  the  total 
abandonment  by  Turkey  of  the  right  bank  of  the 
St.  George  branch  of  the  Danube,  to  the  distance 
of  several  miles  from  the  river.  He  attempted  a 
virtual  separation  of  the  provinces  of  Moldavia  and 
"Wallachia  from  the  sultan,  by  sanitary  regulations 
which  were  intended  to  append  them  to  Russia. 
He  stipulated  that  the  sultan  should  confirm  the 
internal  regulations  for  the  government  of  those 
provinces,  which  Russia  had  established  during  the 
period  of  her  military  occupancy  of  them.  He  con- 
tracted for  the  removal  of  many  thousand  families 
of  Armenians  from  the  Turkish  provinces  of  Asia ; 
thus  depopulating  whole  districts.  He  established 
for  Russian  subjects,  residing  in  Turkey,  an  immu- 
nity from  all  responsibility  to  the  authority  of  the 
sultan ;  and  burdened  the  latter  with  a  stupendous 
tribute,  under  the  plea  of  indemnity  for  the  ex- 
penses incurred  by  Russia  in  prosecuting  the  war. 

The  extraordinary  terms  of  this  treaty  were  dic- 
tated by  General  Diebitsch,  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  the  czar,  at  a  time  when  his  army 
amounted  to  but  20,000  effective  men ;  when  more 
than  30,000  combatants  could  have  been  mustered 
to  the  immediate  defence  of  Adrianople ;  and  when 
the  communication  of  the  invading  army  with  its 

12 


THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

depot  at  Simboli,  might  at  any  moment  have  been 
cut  off,  by  a  little  energy  displayed  on  the  part  of 
the  Turkish  commanders.  In  fact,  so  isolated  in 
the  heart  of  a  hostile  country  had  Diebitsch  and  his 
army  then  become,  that  they  might  have  even  been 
totally  annihilated,  had  the  Turks  not  displayed  the 
most  groundless  terror,  and  the  most  absurd  cow- 
ardice. That  even  a  short  period  of  politic  delay 
would  have  worked  the  ruin  of  the  Russian  forces, 
is  evident  from  the  following  facts.  During  the 
campaign  of  1829,  before  the  arrival  of  the  Russian 
army  before  Adrianople,  their  losses  by  sickness 
and  death  had  already  amounted  to  60,000  men. 
Only  one-seventh  of  the  original  army  returned  to 
St.  Petersburg,  to  tell  the  wonderful  story  of  their 
unexpected  and  undeserved  success.  From  March 
to  July,  1829,  28,000  deaths  occurred  among  81,000 
troops ;  and  of  the  6000  sick  men  left  by  Diebitsch 
at  Adrianople,  after  his  retreat,  5200  died. 

Yet  with  such  facts  before  them,  the  Turkish 
plenipotentiaries  at  Adrianople  concluded  a  treaty, 
which,  under  such  peculiar  circumstances,  is  with- 
out a  parallel  in  history.  From  the  terms  of  the 
treaty  it  will  appear,  what  vast  concessions  Turkey 
made  to  the  aggressive  power  and  spirit  of  the 
czar.  The  sultan  in  effect  granted,  as  the  price  of 
a  dishonourable  peace,  whatever  his  rapacious  foe 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  135 

chose  to  demand.  And  with  this  conlusive  evidence 
before  him  of  the  craven  weakness  of  the  sultan, 
and  of  his  inability  to  contend  with  the  encroach- 
ments of  his  northern  rival,  however  unjust,  it  is 
not  singular  that  Nicholas  should  have  termed  the 
sultan  "the  sick  man;"  and  should  have  confidently 
looked  forward  to  the  day,  as  not  being  very  far 
distant,  when  the  triumphant  and  invincible  eagle 
of  Russia  should  supplant  the  waning  crescent  on 
the  glittering  minarets  of  St.  Sophia's  mosque; 
and  the  ancient  and  crumbling  throne  of  the  Con- 
stantines,  become  an  appendage  to  the  sceptre  of 
the  new-born  majesty  of  the  Czars. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  in  Turkey, 
General  Paskiewitz  was  adding  new  lustre  to  his 
reputation  in  Asia,  and  extending  still  wider  the 
dominions  of  his  master.  On  the  1st  of  July,  that 
general  attacked  the  city  of  Erzeroum,  defended  by 
Hagki  Pasha,  and  took  it  by  storm.  He  captured 
the  person  of  that  prince,  together  with  thirty-one 
pieces  of  cannon,  nineteen  standards,  and  fifteen 
hundred  prisoners.  On  the  5th  of  July  he  took 
Hassan-Exhale,  the  key  of  Erzeroum,  the  capital  of 
the  province  of  Turkomania.  These  acquisitions 
served  still  more  to  consolidate  the  power  of  the 
czar  in  his  Asiatic  dominions. 


136  THE   LIFE    AND   REIGN 


CHAPTER  XII. 

NICHOLAS  CROWNED  AT  WARSAW  IN  1829 — CRUELTIES  OF  THE  GRAND 
DUKE  CONSTANTINE  AT  WARSAW REVOLUTION  BREAKS  OUT  AT  WAR- 
SAW  MANIFESTO  OF  NICHOLAS RADZIVIL — MANIFESTO  OF  THE  POLES 

RUSSIAN  ARMIES  ADVANCE  TO  WARSAW MEMORABLE  BATTLE  NEAR 

WARSAW IMMORTAL    HEROISM  OF  THE  POLES VICTORY  CLAIMED  BY 

BOTH  SIDES CHLOPICKY TERROR  IN  WARSAW DESPAIR  AND  DEATH 

OF    THE    RUSSIAN    GENERAL    DIEBITSCH MARSHAL    PASKIEWITZ    AP- 
POINTED TO  THE  COMMAND HE  CAPTURES  WARSAW,  AND  SUPPRESSES 

THE    REVOLUTION. 

THE  proclamation  of  the  treaty  of  Adrianople  at 
St.  Petersburg  was  the  signal  for  extraordinary  con- 
gratulations and  festivities  in  that  city,  and  through- 
out the  Russian  dominions.  But  the  progress  of 
events  did  not  allow,  at  that  moment,  much  leisure 
for  the  indulgence  of  these  pleasing  sequents  of  a 
triumphant  peace. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1829,  Nicholas  was  crowned 
at  Warsaw,  and  opened  the  Polish  Diet  in  person. 
Notwithstanding  the  cruel  aggressions  of  Russia  on 
the  liberties  of  Poland,  the  Diet  still  retained  some 
slight  show  of  freedom  and  power ;  and  the  linger- 
ing possession  of  these  had  excited  the  bitter  jea- 
lousy and  hostility  of  the  emperor.  Accordingly, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  137 

in  an  address  which  he  delivered  at  the  opening  of 
the  Diet,  he  gave  utterance  to  some  sentiments  in 
reference  to  the  greater  restriction  of  the  liberty  of 
the  press ;  the  publication  of  the  discussions  of  the 
Diet,  which  should  be  kept  secret;  and  defending 
the  cruelties  which  had  been  committed  by  the 
Grand  Duke  Constautine ;  all  of  which  gave  much 
offence  to  the  members  of  the  Diet. 

Just  at  this  dangerous  crisis,  news  was  received 
of  the  French  revolution  of  1830.  The  outrages 
committed  by  Constantine  upon  every  rank,  sex, 
and  age  of  the  unfortunate  Poles,  had  driven  their 
minds  to  desperation;  and  an  insurrection  broke 
forth  at  "Warsaw  immediately  upon  the  reception  of 
the  report  of  the  movement  in  the  French  capital, 
which  resulted  in  elevating  Louis  Philippe — one  of 
the  most  unprincipled  of  men — to  the  throne  of 
the  barricades.  The  Grand  Duke  Constantine  was 
compelled  to  flee  from  his  palace,  and  take  refuge 
among  his  guards.  The  Polish  hussars  seized  the 
arsenal.  A  provisional  government  was  immedi- 
ately formed,  at  the  head  of  which  was  placed 
Prince  Chartoriski.  The  command  of  the  Polish 
army  was  intrusted  to  Chlopicki,  who  was  also 
named  Dictator.  The  Diet  was  then  convoked  for 
the  18th  of  December,  1830. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  this  revolution,  Nicholas, 
12* 


138  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

who  had  returned  to  his  capital  immediately  after 
his  coronation  at  Warsaw,  published  a  manifesto 
couched  in  the  most  haughty  language.  "The 
Poles,"  says  he,  "who  after  so  many  misfortunes 
were  enjoying  peace  and  prosperity  under  the  sha- 
dow of  our  power,  precipitate  themselves  anew  into 
the  abyss  of  revolution  and  calamity,  are  an  assem- 
blage of  credulous  beings,  who,  although  already 
seized  with  terror  at  the  thought  of  the  chastise- 
ment which  awaits  them,  dare  to  dream  for  a  few 
moments  of  victory,  and  to  propose  conditions  to 
us,  their  lawful  sovereign."  Query:  Whence  did 
the  lawfulness  of  his  sovereignty  over  Poland  arise  ? 
Answer :  From  the  lawless  aggressions  and  unprin- 
cipled usurpations  of  Catherine  IE. ;  who,  without 
the  slightest  shadow  of  right  or  title,  invaded  the 
land,  and  by  the  sheer  force  of  greater  military 
power,  appropriated  to  herself  the  sovereignty  of  a 
people,  over  whom  she  had  as  much  legal  power,  as 
she  possessed  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  moon ! 
And  that  title,  and  that  alone,  was  the  one  inherited 
and  possessed  by  Nicholas  himself. 

But  by  this  bold  insurrection  the  patriots  of  Po- 
land had  suddenly  placed  themselves  in  a  position 
of  desperate  danger.  The  most  enthusiastic  of 
them  could  scarcely  hope  to  succeed  against  the 
Colossus  of  the  North,  so  recently  triumphant  over 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  139 

the  monarchs  both  of  Persia  and  of  Turkey.  Never- 
theless, having  thrown  themselves  into  the  perilous 
breach,  they  resolved  to  acquit  themselves  as  be- 
came the  patriots  and  the  heroes  that  they  were. 
Prince  Radzivil  was  appointed  generalissimo  of  the 
Polish  armies,  and  Chlopicki,  who  had  resigned 
the  dictatorship,  assisted  him  in  his  duties. 

In  truth,  a  halo  of  undying  glory  clusters  around 
this  last  great  struggle  of  chivalrous  Sarmatia,  to 
recover  her  long-lost  liberties;  and  to  shake  off 
from  her  breast  the  prodigious  incubus  of  Russian 
tyranny  which  crushed  her  to  the  earth.*  Suffer- 
ing, as  she  had  done  for  many  generations,  all  the 
unspeakable  evils  of  misgovernment,  of  foreign  rule, 
and  of  unprincipled  extortion ;  it  was  natural  that 
an  unquenchable  spirit  of  revolt  should  agitate  and 
inflame  the  bosoms  of  her  patriotic  children.  Once 
more,  therefore,  the  spirit  of  the  immortal  Koski- 
usco  seemed  to  animate  them ;  and  the  brave,  and 
the  fair,  and  the  chivalrous  Poles  girded  themselves 
again,  for  the  last  time,  to  the  heroic  task  of  tri- 
umphing over  their  hereditary  tyrants ;  or  of  offer- 
ing their  lives  and  their  fortunes,  as  a  final  sacrifice, 

*  The  insurrection  which  broke  out  in  the  small  republic  of  Cra- 
cow, the  very  title  of  which  state  was  a  satire  upon  free  govern- 
ments, was  no  exception  to  the  above  statement ;  as  it  was  merely  a 
local,  and  not  a  national  movement.  The  present  was  the  last  Polish 
revolution. 


140  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

upon  the  ruined  altar  of  their  country's  liberties. 
The  struggle  was  a  short  one,  but  it  was  desperate ; 
yet  it  eventually  resulted  in  the  realization  of  the 
worst  fears  of  those,  who  most  sincerely  loved  the 
cause  of  Poland  and  of  freedom. 

On  receiving  the  first  information  of  this  revolt, 
Nicholas  became  enraged  beyond  measure,  and  dic- 
tated the  manifesto  already  referred  to.  To  con- 
quer the  audacious  Poles  now  became  with  him,  no 
longer  simply  a  matter  of  interest  or  of  security ; — 
it  became  a  work  of  vengeance,  and  a  source  of  that 
delicious  rapture,  of  which  triumphant  tyrants  alone 
are  susceptible,  when  they  succeed  in  crushing  the 
inborn  aspirations  of  all  human  souls,  however  long 
and  however  deeply  they  may  have  been  enslaved — 
their  eternal  and  unconquerable  aspirations  to  be 
free !  He  immediately  gave  orders,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  February,  1831,  for  Field-Marshal  Die- 
bitsch,  the  recent  victor  of  Silistria  and  Adrianople, 
to  march  upon  Poland  with  an  army  of  120,000 
veteran  troops,  and  four  hundred  pieces  of  heavy 
artillery. 

'  Immediately  on  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities, 
the  Poles  had  published  to  the  world  a  manifesto, 
in  which  they  set  forth  their  grievances  as  fol- 
lows : — "  The  union  of  the  crown  of  an  autocrat, 
and  of  a  constitutional  king,  is  one  of  those  politi- 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  141 

cal  anomalies  which  cannot  long  exist.  Everybody 
foresaw  that  the  kingdom  would  succumb  under 
the  iron  hand  of  Russian  despotism.  Public  in- 
struction was  corrupted;  a  system  of  obscurantism 
was  organized ;  the  people  were  shut  out  from  all 
means  of  obtaining  instruction ;  an  entire  palatinate 
was  deprived  of  its  representation  in  the  council; 
the  chambers  lost  the  faculty  of  voting  the  budget ; 
new  taxes  were  imposed;  new  monopolies  were 
created,  calculated  to  dry  up  the  sources  of  the 
national  wealth ;  and  the  treasury  became  the  prey 
of  hirelings  and  spies.  Personal  liberty  was  vio- 
lated; the  prisons  were  crowded;  court-martials 
were  appointed  to  try  civil  cases ;  and  respecta- 
ble citizens  suffered  heavy  penalties  for  trying  to 
save  the  reputation  of  the  nation  from  dis- 
honour." 

Such  were  some  of  the  grievances  under  which 
the  unfortunate  Poles  suffered,  and  which  once 
more  summoned  them  to  arms.  To  oppose  the 
vast  forces  sent  to  crush  them  under  Diebitsch, 
they  could  at  that  time  muster  but  35,000  infantry 
of  all  arms,  10,000  cavalry,  and  136  pieces  of  artil- 
lery. Some  15,000  additional  troops  were  dis- 
tributed in  the  garrisons  of  Prague,  Modlin,  and 
Lamosc. 

The    policy  determined   upon    by   the    Russian 


142  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

general  was,  if  possible,  to  march  directly  upon 
Warsaw,  in  the  expectation  that  the  Poles,  in 
order  to  protect  their  capital,  would  hazard  a 
general  engagement;  and  that,  with  their  vastly 
increasing  numbers,  they  would  be  defeated,  and 
thus,  by  one  prodigious  blow,  the  campaign  would 
be  advantageously  concluded  for  Russia.  Accord- 
ingly, on  the  22d  of  February,  Marshal  Diebitsch 
reached  a  position,  having  the  banks  of  the  Vis- 
tula on  his  left  flank,  and  the  Alder  Forest  on  his 
right.  In  front  of  him  were  arrayed  the  entire 
Polish  army,  under  Radzivil,  waiting  to  contest  his 
advance  upon  the  capital.  Skrzynecki  commanded 
the  centre  of  the  Poles,  supported  by  the  regiment 
of  the  Faucheurs;  who  were  a  body  of  infantry 
armed  with  a  dangerous  and  effective  weapon  pecu- 
liar to  Poland,  resembling  a  scythe-blade  set 
straight  in  its  handle.  General  Szembec  com- 
manded the  right  wing,  which  was  in  possession 
of  the  village  of  Grochow;  and  was  protected  by 
the  marshes  of  the  Vistula.  On  the  left  was  posted 
General  Zimirski,  who  occupied  the  outskirts  of  the 
Alder  Forest. 

At  the  early  dawn,  on  the  celebrated  25th  of 
February,  1831,  the  hostile  armies  beheld  each 
other  drawn  out  in  battle  array.  The  occasion  was 
one  of  memorable  interest  for  the  heroic  Poles. 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  143 

/ 

An  army  of  45,000  patriots  stood  in  the  stern 
presence  of  100,000  veteran  foes.  Behind  the 
Polish  army  lay  their  capital,  breathless  with  sus- 
pense ;  and  awaiting  with  mingled  hope  and  terror 
the  issue  of  the  conflict.  A  single  bridge  con- 
ducted over  the  Vistula,  from  the  battle-field  to 
the  capital ;  so  that,  in  case  of  defeat,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  the  vanquished  Poles  to  escape 
by  flight  the  fury  of  the  victors.  The  fate  of  Po- 
land hung  upon  that  single  battle ;  and  victory  was 
necessary  to  her  very  existence. 

Immediately  before  the  battle  began,  Radzivil, 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Polish  army,  sum- 
moned a  council  of  war,  in  a  log-cabin,  in  the 
centre  of  his  lines.  In  contemplating  the  pro- 
digious odds  against  which  they  were  about  to 
contend,  the  bravest  of  the  Polish  leaders  quailed, 
and  gave  utterance  to  their  apprehensions.  Their 
country's  fate  then  hung  upon  a  single  cast  of  the 
die,  and  the  odds  against  them  were  three  to  one. 
Ohlopicki,  the  most  resolute  of  the  Polish  heroes, 
gave  free  vent  to  his  emotions,  and  shed  tears  of 
rage.  Meanwhile  the  loud  booming  of  cannon  on 
the  extreme  left  of  the  Polish  lines,  gave  evidence 
that  the  conflict  had  begun,  and  summoned  the 
generals  to  their  respective  posts. 

By  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  battle  raged 


144  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

along  the  whole  line  of  the  combatants.  General 
Diebitsch  in  person  led  on  his  right  wing;  and 
made  prodigious  exertions  to  get  possession  of  the 
Alder  Forest,  as  the  key  to  the  main  position  of  the 
Poles  at  Grochow.  General  Zimirski  and  his  divi- 
sion, who  opposed  Diebitsch,  fought  with  desperate 
heroism,  and  contended  inch  by  inch  for  the  pre- 
servation of  his  position.  Again  and  again  he  re- 
pulsed the  advancing  foe;  and  his  heroic  warriors 
effected  prodigious  onslaughts  upon  the  serried 
ranks  of  the  Russians.  The  latter  recoiled,  but 
were  again  led  forward  to  the  attack  by  General 
Diebitsch  in  person.  The  Poles  still  spread  car- 
nage and  death  among  their  assailants ;  and  daunt- 
less heroes  seemed  to  rise,  and  fight,  and  perish, 
for  Sarmatian  freedom,  at  every  point.  But  at  the 
very  moment  when  the  victory  hung  undecided  over 
the  contending  hosts,  General  Zimirski  received  a 
mortal  wound,  and  was  carried  from  the  field.  His 
fall  spread  terror  and  confusion  among  his  troops, 
and,  after  a  short  conflict,  Diebitsch  succeeded  in 
making  himself  master  of  the  forest;  he  planted 
his  artillery  on  its  outskirts;  and  immediately 
directed  its  murderous  fire  upon  the  second  line 
of  the  Poles,  commanded  by  General  Skrzynecki. 

Radzivil  sent  orders  to  the  latter  general  to  re- 
pulse the  Russians,  and  retake  the  forest.    Chlopicki 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  145 

marched  to  the  assistance  of  SkrZynecki  and  his 
division.  The  united  onslaught  of  these  warriors 
against  the  position  of  the  Russians  in  the  forest 
was  terrific;  and  after  a  short  struggle,  the  Rus- 
sians began  on  every  side  to  give  way.  This  was 
the  decisive  crisis  of  the  battle.  A  furious  charge 
of  cavalry  at  that  moment,  would  have  decided  its 
fate  in  favour  of  the  Poles.  Chlopicki  sent  word 
to  General  Lubienski,  beseeching  him  to  advance 
with  his  troops;  but,  through  jealousy,  he  refused 
to  obey.  Chlopicki,  on  receiving  word  of  this  re- 
fusal, became  frenzied  with  desperation,  and,  ex- 
claiming, "I  will  seek  only  for  death!"  dashed 
forward  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy.  His  horse 
was  immediately  shot  under  him,  and  he  himself 
was  dangerously  wounded.  With  difficulty  his 
body  was  recovered,  and  carried  from  the  field. 
The  battle  still  raged  fiercely  along  the  whole  line, 
and  its  issue  remained  as  uncertain  as  at  its  com- 
mencement. 

Determined  to  bring  the  conflict,  if  possible,  to  a 
conclusion,  General  Diebitsch,  about  noon,  ordered 
up  all  his  reserves,  and  renewed  his  attack  upon 
the  Polish  lines.  Forty  additional  pieces  of  artil- 
lery were  brought  to  bear  upon  them;  and  they 
were  mowed  down  with  terrific  onslaught,  as 
they  stood.  At  length,  after  suffering  a  prodi- 

13 


146  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

gious  slaughter,  Skrzynecki  fell  back,  and  aban 
doned  his  position  in  the  forest.  Diebitsch  brought 
up,  at  this  moment,  15,000  reserved  cavalry,  who 
charged  upon  the  retreating  lines;  together  with 
fifty-eight  pieces  of  flying  artillery.  But  again  the 
Polish  heroes  formed,  with  admirable  order,  in 
close  ranks,  and  met  the  attack  with  uncon- 
querable heroism.  The  impetuous  charge  of  the 
Russian  hussars  and  hulans,  failed  to  break  their 
defiant  front, — except  that  one  battalion  of  new 
recruits,  gave  way  beneath  the  fury  of  the  attack, 
and  fled  over  the  Vistula,  carrying  terror  into 
Warsaw.  Toward  night,  Malachowski  set  fire  to 
the  houses  of  Praga,  and  the  horrors  of  conflagra- 
tion were  added  to  the  terrors  of  the  battle- 
field. 

At  length,  night  settled  down  over  the  ensan- 
guined plain,  now  thickly  strewed  with  the  dying 
and  the  dead;  and  the  cannonading  gradually 
ceased  on  both  sides.  Notwithstanding  the  vast 
odds  against  which  the  Polish  heroes  fought,  the 
battle  was  a  drawn  one,  and  victory  remained 
with  neither  party.  Such  was  the  celebrated  bat- 
tle of  Grochow;  in  which,  during  a  whole  day,  the 
ancient  and  glorious  heroism  of  the  Poles  was 
exerted,  in  innumerable  instances,  to  win  back 
again  to  their  fallen  country,  her  lost  eminence 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  147 

.among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Five  thousand 
wounded  and  slain  of  the  Polish  army,  and  nine 
thousand  on  the  part  of  the  Russians,  attested  the 
terrific  fury  of  the  conflict.  At  night,  General 
Diebitsch  retired  from  the  field,  into  the  Forest 
of  Alder;  and  General  Radzivil  recrossed  the  Vis- 
tula, and  entered  the  gates  of  "Warsaw,  with  his 
heroic  and  uuconquered  troops. 

A  cessation  of  arms  for  a  month  took  place 
between  the  exhausted  armies;  and  again,  on  the 
1st  of  April,  another  battle  between  the  Russian 
army  under  Diebitsch,  and  the  Polish  under  Skrzy- 
necki,  who  had  succeeded  Radzivil  in  the  supreme 
command,  took  place  at  the  village  of  Dembewilkie. 
After  a  fierce  conflict  the  Russians  abandoned  the 
field,  with  the  loss  of  two  thousand  killed,  twelve 
pieces  of  cannon,  and  six  thousand  prisoners.  The 
Poles  lost  but  three  hundred  men.  The  next  day 
Lubienski  continued  the  pursuit,  and  five  thousand 
more  of  the  fugitives  were  captured.  The  battle  of 
Iganie  soon  followed,  at  which  the  Russians  lost 
2500  prisoners,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  singular 
incapacity  displayed  by  Diebitsch,  met  a  signal  and 
disgraceful  defeat.  The  spirit  of  Poland  seemed  to 
have  arisen  and  to  have  become  invincible  once 
more. 

At  Ostrolenka,  on  the  25th  of  May,  another  great 


148  THE   LIFK  AND   REIGN 

battle  was  fought  between  the  contending  hosts.  At 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Russian  army  took 
its  position  in  the  plain  before  that  town,  spreading 
out  like  a  fan  and  flanked  by  clouds  of  flying  Cos- 
sacks. The  usual  disproportion  of  troops  existed 
between  the  combatants.  The  Poles  numbered 
45,000,  the  Russians  80,000.  After  another  of  the 
most  sanguinary  conflicts  recorded  in  history,  the 
victory  was  claimed  by  both  sides;  although  the 
Poles  remained  masters  of  the  field.  They  had  lost 
7000  killed  and  wounded ;  the  loss  on  the  side  of  the 
Russians  was  10,000. 

This  was  the  last  battle  in  which  the  celebrated 
Russian  General  Diebitsch  fought.  The  failures 
which  attended  his  later  movements  in  Poland  in- 
dicate an  unaccountable  weakness,  strangely  incon- 
sistent with  the  energy  and  sagacity  which  charac- 
terized his  conduct  in  Turkey.  It  is  even  supposed, 
that  by  jealous  rivals  in  the  Russian  service,  he  had 
been  so  drugged,  that  his  intellect  was  affected,  and 
his  powers  impaired.  At  any  rate,  after  the  battle  of 
Ostrolenka,  General  Diebitsch  shut  himself  up  in  his 
camp  at  Poltusk,  and  sank  into  a  profound  and  pain- 
ful melancholy.  He  was  conscious  that  he  had  lost 
the  favour  of  the  stern  czar,  and  he  drowned  his 
chagrin  in  constant  intoxication.  He  died  on  the 
llth  of  June,  suddenly;  and  his  death  being  soon 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  149 

followed  by  that  of  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine, 
both  were  ascribed  to  poison,  administered  by  Count 
Orloff,  the  most  confidential  and  trusted  friend  of 
Nicholas. 

Diebitsch  was  succeeded  by  Field-Marshal  Paskie- 
vvitch,  the  conqueror  of  Persia,  in  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  Russian  army.  After  some  minor 
movements,  the  particulars  of  which  we  will  not 
narrate,  the  field-marshal  determined  to  commence  a 
grand  assault  on  "Warsaw,  on  the  6th  of  September, 
1831.  His  army  had  just  been  increased  by  a  new 
levy  of  30,000  men,  under  the  command  of  General 
Kreutz ;  which  force,  in  addition  to  the  troops  already 
under  his  command,  made  the  Russian  army  number 
120,000,  together  with  386  cannon.  The  army  of 
the  Poles,  adding  new  recruits  of  all  kinds,  amounted 
to  80,000,  with  144  cannon ;  but  at  the  period  of  its 
attack  there  were  in  Warsaw  but  35,000  troops,  and 
136  pieces  of  artillery.  The  defences  of  the  city 
extended  over  an  area  of  fifteen  miles.  It  would 
have  required  an  army  three  times  as  numerous  as 
that  then  in  the  capital,  properly  to  man  such  im- 
mense works. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  6th,  the  Russians  commenced 
a  furious  attack  on  the  fortifications  with  two 
hundred  pieces  of  artillery.  Before  beginning  this 

celebrated    assault,   Paskiewitch   distributed    abun- 

13* 


150  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

dant  rations  of  brandy  to  his  troops,  so  that  they 
approached  the  works,  under  a  state  of  intoxication. 
The  Russians  first  drove  in  the  defenders  of  the 
suburb  of  Wola ;  and  planting  a  hundred  pieces  of 
artillery  there,  attacked  the  second  line  of  the  Poles. 
The  assault  now  became  general.  Three  hundred 
and  fifty  pieces  of  artillery  thundered  together. 
Malachowski,  the  generalissimo  of  the  Poles,  dis- 
played prodigies  of  skill  and  valour.  Thrice  the 
Russian  troops  in  immense  masses  were  brought  up 
to  the  attack  of  the  second  line;  and  thrice  the 
Poles  heroically  repulsed  the  frantic  and  drunken 
soldiers  of  the  czar.  In  this  defence  were  first  dis- 
played the  splendid  talents  of  General  Bern,  for  ar- 
tillery service, — an  officer  afterward  illustrious  in  the 
annals  of  the  Hungarian  revolution.  During  this 
furious  charge,  General  Romanski,  a  Polish  general 
of  ability,  was  slain. 

The  fierce  conflict  continued  far  into  the  night. 
The  Russians,  with  their  immensely  superior  force, 
continually  pressed  forward;  and  the  heroic  de- 
fenders of  the  ancient  battlements  of  Warsaw,  were 
compelled  slowly  to  recede.  Various  portions  of  the 
city  were  now  on  fire.  The  battlements  of  Warsaw 
were  surrounded  by  a  lurid  and  living  belt  of  flame, 
and  still  the  combat  continued  with  unabated  fury. 
At  length,  having  brought  all  their  artillery  to  bear 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  151 

upon  the  works  simultaneously,  a  last  grand  assault 
was  made;  and  Warsaw,  which  had  witnessed  so 
many  immortal  deeds  of  heroism,  in  defence  of  her 
liberties,  in  successive  revolutions,  then  fell  beneath 
the  power  of  the  great  despot ;  and  has  never  since 
arisen  from  her  chains  of  ignominy  and  bondage. 
On  the  7th  of  September,  1831,  the  city  capitulated ; 
the  Russian  army  was  quartered  among  her  stately 
palaces;  and  abject  slaves  thenceforth  occupied  the 
works  which  had  been  defended  by  heroes,  so  often 
and  so  well. 


152  THE   LIFE   AND   KEIGN 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TERRIBLE   VENGEANCE    OF    NICHOLAS  I.  ON   THE   POLES CRUELTIES  PER- 
PETRATED   IN    PODOLIA IN    WARSAW JEWS    OF    POLAND HOSTILITY 

AND    CONTEMPT    OF    NICHOLAS    TOWARD    THE    POLISH    JEWS HISTORY 

OF    THE    UNITED    GREEK    CHURCH    IN    POLAND HORRIBLE    CRUELTIES 

INFLICTED    BY   NICHOLAS  ON   THE    NUNS    OF   MINSK — DIFFERENT   OPIN- 
IONS   ON    THE    SUBJECT. 

THEN  was  tendered  to  Nicholas  I.  that  exquisite 
banquet  of  revenge,  which  an  ancient  sage  declared 
to  he  worthy  of  the  gods !  The  penalties  inflicted 
on  the  unhappy  Poles  hy  the  czar,  after  the  sup- 
pression of  this  revolution,  need  no  colouring  from 
fancy  to  add  romantic  and  startling  horrors  to  the 
scene.  The  sober  reality  is  amply  sufficient;  and 
were  it  not  so,  impartial  history  disdains  to  invoke 
the  aid  of  imagination,  in  order  to  paint  a  more 
effective  picture. 

Mcholas  immediately  addressed  himself  to  the 
agreeable  task  of  inflicting  those  "chastisements"  to 
which  he  had  significantly  referred  in  his  manifesto 
of  the  24th  of  December  previous.  First,  by  a 
ukase,  he  formally  annexed  Poland  to  Russia,  as  one 
of  its  provinces,  to  become  incorporated  into  it. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  153 

Iii  Podolia,  one  of  the  departments  of  Poland, 
five  hundred  families  composed  of  twenty  thousand 
persons  were  transported,  merely  as  suspected  per- 
sons, to  the  frontiers  of  the  Caucasus,  in  uncultivated 
and  unhealthy  lands,  and  in  constant  clanger  from 
the  attacks  of  the  enemies  of  Russia  in  those  moun- 
tains. The  minister  of  the  interior,  under  the  spe- 
cial orders  of  Nicholas,  commanded  that  only  those 
among  the  suspected  nobles  should  be  sent  to  the 
Caucasus,  who  were  able-bodied  and  could  work. 
Their  children,  their  wives,  and  the  aged  and  infirm, 
were  all  to  be  left  behind.  Thus  many  families 
were  separated,  in  defiance  of  every  instinct  of  hu- 
manity and  justice.  Those  of  the  suspected  nobles 
who  were  not  sent  to  the  Caucasus,  Nicholas  com- 
manded should  be  enrolled  among  the  Cossacks  of 
the  Don. 

In  1832,  Nicholas  undertook  the  entire  trans- 
formation of  society  and  government  in  Poland. 
He  abolished  the  ancient  Polish  division  of  the 
country  into  palatinates,  and  substituted  the  Rus- 
sian division  into  governments.  He  altered  the 
system  of  measures  and  weights,  from  the  old  Po- 
lish, to  that  in  use  in  Russia.  He  changed  the 
calendar  from  the  Gregorian, — which  prevails 
throughout  Christendom, — and  introduced  the  Ju- 
lian, which  is  still  used  in  Russia.  He  attempted 


154  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

to  efface  the  Polish  language  from  the  memory  of 
his  unhappy  subjects;  forbidding  it  to  be  used  in 
the  courts  of  justice,  in  the  schools,  and  in  public, 
and  substituting  the  Russian  everywhere. 

In  March,  1832,  Mcholas  ordered  all  the  poor 
and  orphan  male  children  of  "Warsaw,  from  seven 
to  sixteen  years  of  age,  to  be  transplanted  from 
their  native  place  into  different  places  of  exile. 
Some  of  these  poor  children  were  not  orphans ;  and 
the  misery  of  the  impoverished  wretches,  when  torn 
away  from  their  relations,  is  described  as  having 
been  heart-rending.  By  this  means,  many  of  the 
parish  schools  of  "Warsaw  were  entirely  emptied. 
Many  perished  like  insects  on  their  long  and  cheer- 
less journey.  Their  little  bodies  were  frequently 
found  unburied  along  the  roadside  by  the  country- 
people  in  strange  lands. 

The  Jews  of  Poland  suffered  a  large  share  of  the 
vengeance  of  Nicholas.  Many  of  these  made  their 
living  by  smuggling,  and  by  second-hand  dealing. 
An  order  was  issued  to  transport  this  whole  class  to 
the  Caucasus.  Old  men,  women,  and  children,  a  I 
departed,  surrounded  by  hordes  of  savage  Cossacks. 
Many  perished  by  the  way ;  and  the  husband  was 
hurried  away  from  the  side  of  his  expiring  wife,  nor 
permitted  to  receive  her  last  sigh.  Arrived  at  the 
place  of  their  destination,  a  conscription  of  their 


OF   NICHOLAS  *HE   FIRST.  155 

children  immediately  took  place.  All  those  six 
years  of  age  were  forcibly  carried  off,  either  into  the 
naval  or  military  service;  and  nearly  all  died,  for 
the  Jew  cannot  exist  as  a  soldier. 

The  special  enmity  of  the  czar  toward  the  Jewish 
race  is  illustrated  by  the  following  incident : — Once 
on  his  passage  through  Riga  to  "Warsaw,  the  Jews 
of  Riga  embraced  the  opportunity  to  present  him  a 
petition.  He  was  just  embarking  in  a  boat  on  the 
Dwina  River,  to  visit  Mindare.  Nicholas  declined 
to  receive  the  petition.  The  Jews  in  despair  ex- 
claimed, "Where  are  we  to  go?"  In  reply  the  czar 
merely  pointed  to  the  water  with  his  finger,  as  if  he 
would  have  said,  "  Go  and  drown  yourselves ;"  at 
the  same  time  ordering  the  boatmen  immediately  to 
row  off ! 

After  the  suppression  of  the  insurrection,  those 
chiefs  and  generals  who  had  not  succeeded  in 
escaping  from  Poland  to  Switzerland,  and  to  other 
foreign  countries,  were  condemned  and  executed. 
Others,  who  took  less  prominence  in  the  revolt, 
were  confined  as  prisoners  of  state,  for  life.  Vast 
numbers  of  the  unfortunate  soldiery  were  sent  as 
exiles  to  Siberia;  to  spend  the  remainder  of  their 
existence  in  its  gloomy  •  mines,  without  the  re- 
motest prospect  of  ever  beholding  their  country  or 
their  kindred  again. 


15G  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

We  will  not  describe  in  detail  the  innumerable 
acts  of  severity  and  ferocity  perpetrated  by  the 
orders,  or  with  the  approval,  of  Nicholas,  on  the 
fallen  and  unfortunate  Poles.  We  will  narrate  but 
one  more  instance,  which  has  become  too  notorious 
to  justify  our  silence. 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  a  schism  had  taken 
place  among  the  members  of  the  Orthodox  Greek 
Church  in  Poland.  They  renounced  the  supre- 
macy of  the  Russian  Patriarch,  and  placed  them- 
selves under  the  protection  of  the  Pope  of  Rome. 
They  were  called  the  "  United  Greek  Church,"  from 
their  union  with  the  Latin  or  Roman  Church. 
This  schism  was  always  regarded  by  the  czars  as 
the  hotbed  of  political,  as  well  as  of  religious,  re- 
bellion ;  and  the  members  of  the  United  Greek 
Church,  who  had,  in  the  progress  of  time,  become 
very  numerous  in  Lithuania  and  Modern  Poland, 
always  were  regarded  by  the  Russian  monarch  with 
a  jealous  eye. 

The  last  revolution  obtained  many  of  its  most 
zealous  partisans  among  this  body;  and  after  its 
suppression,  excessively  severe  measures  were 
adopted,  to  compel  them  to  renounce  their  reli- 
gious and  political  principles,  and  become  obe- 
dient members  of  the  Orthodox  Russian  Church. 
In  a  great  measure,  by  promises,  by  threats,  and 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  157 

by  actual  severities,  the  emissaries  of  the  czar 
succeeded  in  accomplishing  their  purposes.  In 
1839,  the  whole  episcopal  body  of  the  disunionists 
signed  their  recantation,  and  formally  united  with 
the  Greek  Church.  But  this  was  the  result  of 
many  years  of  persecution  and  suffering.  In  1833, 
the  most  determined  resistance  which  the  propa- 
gandists of  Nicholas  encountered,  was  in  the  con- 
vent of  Basilian  nuns  at  Minsk;  whose  abbess, 
Makrena,  was  a  woman  of  great  piety  and  reso- 
lution, and  resisted  to  the  last  all  the  threats  and 
seductive  promises,  which  could  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  her  and  her  associates.  They  still  persisted 
in  their  union  with  the  Church  of  Rome ;  in  deny- 
ing the  jurisdiction  of  the  Russian  Patriarch;  and  in 
denouncing  the  tyranny  of  the  czar  over  their  un- 
happy country. 

Nicholas,  at  last,  determined  on  adopting  the 
most  extreme  measures,  and  a  series  of  cruelties 
were  commenced  on  these  nuns,  at  the  recital  of 
which  the  heart  sickens.  Their  convent  at  Minsk 
was  surrounded  by  Russian  troops,  the  gates  were, 
burst  open,  and  the  soldiers  rushed  into  the  con- 
vent. Uszakof,  the  governor  of  the  province,  as- 
sembling the  terrified  nuns,  offered  them,  either  to 
choose  the  orthodox  religion,  with  honours  and  the 

imperial  protection,  or  exile  in  Siberia.     The  nuns 

14 


158  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

refused  the  former,  and  were  ordered  instantly  to 
prepare  for  their  departure.  Thirty-five  in  number, 
the}7  knelt,  for  the  last  time,  in  their  chapel  to 
pray;  and  when  they  rose  up,  one  of  them  (Leu- 
eheka)  had  expired  from  excessive  terror  and  grief. 
They  were  then  handcuffed,  and  marched  on  foot 
for  some  days,  until  they  reached  Wi-tebsk.  There 
they  were  first  placed  in  the  Convent  of  the  Black 
Nuns,  composed  principally  of  the  widows  of  Rus- 
sian soldiers.  During  ten  years,  they  remained 
among  those  coarse  and  cruel  women,  suffering 
every  species  of  outrage,  and  wearing,  during  this 
whole  period,  iron  chains  upon  their  feet. 

They  were  first  compelled  to  perform  all  the 
low,  menial  services  in  the  convent.  They  were 
compelled — from  six  in  the  morning  till  six  at 
night,  with  one  hour's  interval  at  noon — to  break 
stones,  and  carry  them  from  the  quarries  in  wheel- 
barrows. They  were  starving  for  want  of  sufficient 
food.  Seeing  that  these  severities  did  not  work 
their  conversion,  they  were  then  flogged  twice  a 
week,  receiving  fifty  lashes  each  time.  Their  flesh 
sometimes  hung  in  strips  from  their  bodies.  After 
one  of  these  beatings,  a  nun  named  Columba 
Yorska,  expired.  Another  was  killed  by  a  blow 
with  a  billet  of  wood  on  the  head,  by  the  Abbess 
of  the  Black  Nuns,  because  she  disobeyed  her 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.  159 

orders.  Another  nun,  Susanna  Eypinska,  was  flog- 
ged to  death  ;  and  another  had  her  ribs  broken,  by 
the  brutal  seventy  of  their  persecutors. 

These  sufferings  still  failed  to  overcome  the  con- 
stancy of  these  unhappy  nuns,  and  yet  further  bar- 
barities were  devised.  They  were  maimed,  cut, 
bruised,  and  wounded,  in  divers  ways.  At  the 
chapel  door  the  abbess  of  the  persecuted  nuns, 
Makrena,  seeing  a  hatchet  lying  on  the  ground, 
seized  it,  and  offered  it  to  the  Greek  bishop,  who 
was  present,  saying:  "You  are  our  shepherd,  be- 
come our  executioner  also."  His  reply  was  a  blow 
of  his  fist,  with  which  he  knocked  out  one  of  the 
teeth  of  the  abbess.  By  the  year  1840,  these,  and 
innumerable  other  barbarities,  had  diminished  the 
number  of  these  unfortunate  beings  to  fifteen. 
Three  of  them  had  died  in  eight  days.  Two  of 
them  had  gone  mad, — who  were  then  chained  to 
their  wheelbarrows,  and  still  compelled  to  work. 
All  their  heads  and  necks  were  covered  with 
tumours;  their  hands  were  swollen,  and  bleeding; 
their  bodies  became  one  mass  of  open  wounds  and 
festering  sores.  Another  flogging  took  place,  after 
which  two  of  the  nuns  expired.  In  1844,  the  ab- 
bess and  three  nuns  succeeded  in  making  their 
escape  from  the  convent ;  and,  after  incredible'  hard- 
ships, succeeded  in  reaching  Posen.  There,  on  the 


160  THE   LIFE    AND    REIGN 

14th  of  August,  the  deposition  of  the  abbess  under 
oath  was  taken  before  several  judges  of  the  local 
court.  It  was  countersigned  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Posen  ;  and  the  genuineness  and  authenticity  of  the 
statement  has  never  been  controverted.  Count  Dia- 
lynska,  a  Polish  nobleman,  in  a  published  statement, 
certifies,  that  he  entertained  the  escaped  nuns  at  his 
chateau  at  Kornik;  and  that  he  then  saw  on  the 
head  of  the  Abbess  Makrena  a  large  depression, 
covered  over  with  newly-formed  skin,  an  inch  broad 
and  the  fourth  of  an  inch  in  depth,  as  one  of  the 
evidences  of  the  severities  which  had  been  in- 
flicted upon  her.  The  abbess  at  length  succeeded 
in  reaching  Rome,  and  became  the  guest  of  the 
Convent  of  the  Santa  Trinita.  A  narrative  of  her 
sufferings,  and  those  of  her  associates,  was  afterward 
given  to  the  world,  and  excited  the  astonishment 
and  indignation  of  Europe. 

The  question  arises,  were  these  statements  true? 
and  were  barbarities  such  as  these  inflicted  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  and  in  a  Christian  country  ? 
The  answer  is,  that  the  Russian  government  has 
never  succeeded  in  disproving  them,  though  many 
corroborative  evidences  have  been  furnished  by 
those  who  took  sides  with  the  persecuted  abbess. 
Another  inquiry  which  suggests  itself  is,  if  the  in- 
fliction of  these  barbarities  be  admitted,  were  they 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  161 

perpetrated  with  the  knowledge  and  under  the 
orders  of  the  czar?  The  answer  to  this  question 
would  seem  undoubtedly  to  be,  that  they  were ;  be- 
cause in  Russia,  so  absolute  was  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  czar ;  so  obsequious  were  his  servants  to  obey 
him  in  every  thing,  and  never  to  act  except  under 
his  express  orders;  so  universal  is  the  presence 
of  the  police ;  and  so  complete  is  the  information 
which  is  conveyed  to  the  central-  government,  of 
every  thing  which  occurs  throughout  the  whole  em- 
pire, that  it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  such  extraor- 
dinary events  should  have  been  transpiring  in  Rus- 
sia proper,  during  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  yet 
the  czar  remain  in  ignorance  of  them,  or  not  have 
become  perfectly  familiar  with  their  most  minute 
details.  Nevertheless,  there  is  one  fact  in  existence 
which  justice  requires  that  we  should  mention; 
and  which  may  seem  to  be  an  argument  »in  favour 
of  the  falsity,  or  at  least  of  the  exaggeration,  of  the 
current  accounts  which  exist  in  reference  to  the 
treatment  of  the  nuns  of  Minsk.  In  1845,  the  Em- 
peror Nicholas  visited  Rome,  in  connection  with 
other  European  capitals.  The  Abbess  Makrena 
was  resident  in  that  city  at  that  time.  Her  narra- 
tive of  the  sufferings  which  she  and  her  associates 
had  endured,  had  become  well  known  throughout 
Europe.  She  had  even  made  special  statements 

14* 


162  THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

on  the  subject  to  the  Pope.  If,  therefore,  his  Holi- 
ness gave  full  credence  to  these  reports,  it  is  pro- 
bable that  he  would  have  received  the  czar  with 
coldness,  perhaps  with  rudeness  and  incivility ;  yet, 
when  the  czar  arrived  at  Rome,  the  Pope  sent  a 
deputation  of  cardinals  to  receive  him ;  and  during 
the  period  of  his  sojourn  in  the  Eternal  City,  ex- 
tended to  him,  to  the  fullest  extent,  the  evidences 
of  his  utmost  regard  and  consideration.  Was  this 
done  because  the  Pope  did  not  believe  the  reports 
which  had  startled  all  Europe  ?  Or  was  he  governed 
in  his  conduct  by  a  spirit  of  policy  and  subser- 
viency, which  induced,  or  compelled,  him  to  over- 
look the  most  brutal  acts  of  despotic  barbarity, 
heard  of  in  modern  times  ? 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  163 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LITERATURE  OP  RUSSIA — THE  FOUR  GREAT  LITERARY  NAMES  OF  RUSSIA 
— SKETCH  OF  THE  GREATEST  OF  THEM,  KARAMSIN — MORE  RECENT 
EMINENT  MEN  OF  LETTERS — NICHOLAS  PATRONIZES  THE  DIPLOMATIC, 
ENGINEERING,  AND  MILITARY  SCHOOLS — LANGUAGE  OF  RUSSIA — IN- 
DIFFERENCE OF  NICHOLAS  TO  SCIENCES,  AND  BRANCHES  OF  LEARNING, 
WHICH  WERE  USELESS  IN  WAR. 

IT  is  with  pleasure  that  we  turn  away  from  these 
continual  though  necessary  details  of  persecution, 
of  conquest,  and  of  aggression,  to  seek  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  great  czar  something  which  appertains 
to  the  nobler  arts  of  peace ;  and  which  refers  to  the 
advancement  of  education,  science,  and  literature, 
among  his  subjects.  » 

But  it  must  be  confessed,  that  the  materials  which 
the  career  of  Nicholas  furnishes,  for  narratives  of 
this  description,  are  meagre  in  the  extreme;  and 
that  even  the  patronage  which  he  did  afford  to  in- 
stitutions and  men  of  learning,  was  clouded  over 
with  war's  grim  and  gloomy  visage,  and  was  in- 
tended only  to  prepare  them  for  more  effective  ser- 
vice, in  its  bloody  and  disastrous  scenes. 

Only  four  great  names  exist  in  Russian  literature. 


164  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

These  are  Lomonosoff,  Sclmkowski,  Pouschkin,  and 
Karamsin.  The  first  of  these  was  celebrated  as  a 
classical  scholar.  He  flourished  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  translated  into  the  Russ  language  the 
works  of  Homer,  Plato,  Horace,  and  Ovid.  Until 
then,  the  very  names  of  these  classic  writers  were 
unknown  to  the  Muscovites.  Schukowski  was  an 
imitator  of  the  German  style  of  literature ;  and  his 
works  abound  in  vast  masses  of  unwieldy  literary 
lumber.  Pouschkin  is  the  most  eminent  poet  of 
Russia.  He  was  a  man  of  original,  vigorous,  and 
impassioned  poetic  fire,  and  has  been  compared,  by 
the  most  discerning  critics,  to  Byron.  But  the 
name  which  is  most  widely  and  eminently  known 
in  Russian  literature,  is  that  of  Karamsin  the  his- 
torian. 

Nicholas  yon  Karamsin  was  born  on  the  13th  of 
December,  1765,  in  the  government  of  Vimbersk. 
In  his  youth  he  was  educated  at  the  University  of 
Moscow,  where  he  received  the  particular  instruc- 
tions of  John  Schnaden,  the  celebrated  professor  of 
philosophy  at  that  university.  On  leaving  the  uni- 
versity, Karamsin  entered  the  imperial  Garde  du 
Corps ;  and  in  the  years  1789  to  1791  he  travelled 
through  the  various  countries  of  Europe,  and  en- 
larged his  mind  by  a  familiarity  with  the  laws, 
society,  and  government,  of  the  European  states. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  105 

His  first  work  contained  the  fruits  of  his  observa- 
tions abroad,  and  was  published  in  four  volumes, 
under  the  title,  "Letters  of  a  Russian  Traveller." 
From  1792  to  1803,  Karamsin  resided  at  Moscow, 
engaged  in  various  literary  works.  The  Emperor 
Alexander  then  appointed  him  to  the  high  and 
honourable  post  of  Historiographer  of  the  Russian 
Empire.  In  1816  he  removed  to  St.  Petersburg, 
and  the  same  year  were  published  the  first  eight 
volumes  of  his  celebrated  History  of  the  Russian 
Empire.  For  this  performance  he  was  rewarded 
with  the  rank  of  Honorary  Counsellor  of  State, 
with  the  Order  of  St.  Anne  of  the  first  class.  In 
1821  the  ninth  volume  of  this  work  appeared,  and 
in  1823  the  tenth  and  eleventh  volumes.  In  1824 
he  was  promoted  to  the  dignity  of  Actual  Coun- 
sellor of  State.  In  1825  he  wrote  the  celebrated 
manifesto  which  Nicholas  I.  published  on  his  acces- 
sion to  the  throne.*  In  the  year  1826  he  completed 
the  twelfth  volume  of  his  history,  which  brought 
his  narrative  of  events  down  to  the  reign  of  Mi- 
chael, the  grandfather  of  Peter  the  Great,  and  the 
founder  of  the  illustrious  dynasty  of  the  Romanoffs. 
In  1826  he  died,  without  having  been  able  to  com- 
plete his  great  work.  He  was  carried  off  by  a  pul- 

*  See  Schnitzler's  Diplom.  History  of  Alexander  I.  and  Nicholas. 
London,  1848. 


166  THE   LIFE    AND   REIGN 

monary  disease ;  but  it  was  remarked  that  lie  never 
recovered  from  the  shock  which  he  received  on  the 
death  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  I. 

Karamsin  was  honoured  by  the  friendship  and 
esteem  of  the  most  illustrious  men  in  Russia,  and 
especially  by  that  of  the  two  sovereigns,  Alexander 
and  Nicholas.  He  expired  in  the  Tauric  Palace, 
attended  by  the  tenderest  care  of  the  young  czar. 
The  latter  had  ordered  the  frigate  Helena,  only  two 
days  previous  to  his  death,  to  be  in  readiness  to 
convey  Karamsin  and  his  family  to  the  more  genial 
clime  of  Italy.  He  was  buried  with  extraordinary 
honours  in  the  churchyard  of  the  great  Convent  of 
St.  Alexander  Newsky,  on  the  6th  of  June.  His 
funeral  was  attended  by  the  emperor,  by  the  most 
distinguished  officers  of  state,  and  by  a  vast  con- 
course of  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Petersburg,  among 
whom  he  was  respected  and  revered.  Nicholas  had 
displayed  his  munificence  by  bestowing  upon  him 
an  annuity  of  50,000  rubles  for  his  lifetime ;  which 
sum,  after  his  death,  was  generously  continued 
during  the  lives  of  all  the  members  of  his  family. 

For  several  years  Karamsin  had  been  the  editor 
of  the  European  Mercury,  and  at  other  times,  of 
the  leading  Russian  journals  in  the  department  of 
belles-lettres.  The  following  are  his  most  celebrated 
literary  productions.  Five  volumes  of  poems  en- 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  1G7 

titled,  Aglaja  and  Aonides;  Letters  of  a  Russian 
Traveller,  in  four  volumes;  The  Pantheon  of  Fo- 
reign Literature ;  The  Pantheon  of  National  Lite- 
rature; a  historical  novel  entitled  Possadniza,  or 
the  Subjugation  of  Novogorod;  a  selection  of  Ly- 
rical Poems ;  Historical  Fragments  and  Miscellanies. 
As  a  poet,  he  was  a  writer  of  genius  and  power. 
His  chief  merit,  however,  is  as  an  historian.  As 
an  annalist,  he  is  thorough,  clear,  impartial,  and 
writes  with  elegance  and  accuracy,  and  has  the 
faculty  of  investing  the  dryest  themes  with  attrac- 
tive interest. 

The  more  recent  developments  in  Russian  litera- 
ture, though  they  have  not  produced  any  great 
names,  have  nevertheless  brought  into  existence 
a  few  writers  whose  labours  have  thrown  some 
lustre  on  the  Russian  name.  Kamakoff  has,  during 
the  reign  of  Nicholas,  written  several  tragedies  and 
lyrical  compositions  which  are  original  in  their  cha- 
racter, and  display  considerable  dramatic  power. 
Kryloff  has  produced  fables  which  compare  favour- 
ably with  those  of  Lafontaine  and  Phsedrus.  Gogol 
was  the  author  of  satires  which  possess  a  degree  of 
wit  which  places  him  nearly  beside  Swift  and  Addi- 
son.  Of  poets  of  a  recent  date  Russia  may  boast ; 
for  she  can  enumerate  the  names  of  Wiasemski, 
Madam  Pauloff,  and  the  Countess  Rostopchin ;  to- 


THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

gether  with  the  eccentric  but  gifted  Lermontoff, 
who  was  killed  in  an  unfortunate  duel  in  Circassia. 
Of  novelists,  there  are  Mouranieff,  Sagoschkin,  and 
Batuschkoff.  Balgurin  is  celebrated  as  a  journalist. 
Nicholas  Gertsch  has  rendered  brilliant  services  in 
the  cause  of  the  national  language,  by  publishing 
numerous  editions  of  his  Russian  grammar,  the 
best  which  has  yet  appeared. 

Nicholas  established,  at  an  early  period  of  his 
reign,  a  rigid  censorship  of  the  press;  and  this 
measure  has  had  the  effect  of  retarding,  in  a  very 
great  degree,  the  free  development  of  the  intellec- 
tual resources  of  the  nation.  The  consequence 
is,  a  greater  degree  of  ignorance  among  the  priest- 
hood, and  a  lower  grade  of  literary  attainment 
among  the  teachers  of  the  schools.  Among  the 
higher  clergy,  a  man  .of  extensive  learning  is  an 
occasional  phenomenon,  due  more  to  the  influence 
of  German  theological  erudition,  which  some- 
times succeeds  in  permeating  the  ranks  of  the 
ecclesiastics,  than  to  the  genius  of  Russian  litera- 
ture. 

On  the  other  hand,  all  the  patronage  and  assist- 
ance which  Nicholas  extended  to  learning,  in  his 
dominions,  were  principally  confined  to  the  diplo- 
matic schools,  and  those  of  topographical  surveys^ 
These  he  patronized  with  the  partial  affection  of  a 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  It  JO 

father,  inasmuch  as  its  members  would  be  made 
directly  serviceable  to  the  interests  of  the  govern- 
ment. As  an  example  of  the  patronage  which 
Nicholas  bestowed  upon  the  other  and  more  ele- 
vated departments  of  letters,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
that  Lomonosoff  and  Pouschkin,  two  poets  of  high 
distinction,  were  banished  by  him,  to  serve  as 
privates  in  the  army  in  Circassia,  for  writing  too 
freely  on  politics ;  and  that  Bestucheff  expiated 
with  his  life,  his  rashness  in  supporting  the  con- 
spiracy of  1825,  in  favour  of  a  liberal  constitution 
for  Russia. 

The  language  of  Russia  is  represented  as  being 
admirably  adapted  as  a  vehicle  for  the  development 
of  a  rich  and  valuable  literature,  were  it  not  that, 
the  best  aspirations  of  native  genius  are  all  crushed 
by  the  iron  hand  of  a  jealous  despotism.  The  lan- 
guage is  described  as  being  at  once  fluent  and  con- 
cise, pliable  and  vigorous,  tender  and  stern ;  as  re- 
dundant in  imagery,  laconic  in  axiom,  graceful  in 
courtesy,  strong  in  argument,  soothing  in  feeling, 
and  tremendous  in  denunciation.  The  latent  ener- 
gies of  the  language  furnish  an  evidence  of  what 
its  literature  might  have  become,  under  more  genial 
and  propitious  auspices.  Karamsin  has  done  more 
than  any. other  writer  to  develop  the  resources  of 

15 


170 

the  language,  and  to  give  it  an  established  form 
and  consistency.* 

In  St.  Petersburg,  tlie  two  most  liberally-endowed 
institutions  devoted  to  instruction,  are  the  Mining 
and  the  Forest  Schools,  which  are  in  Russia  deno- 
minated corps.  They  are  located  in  large  and 
splendid  palaces;  and  as  their  purpose  is  directly 
intended  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  govern- 
ment, both  in  war  and  in  peace,  they  received  the 
special  attention  of  Nicholas.  The  interests  of  the 
state  are  the  main  object  constantly  kept  in  view  in 
these  schools.  The  system  of  education  pursued,  is 
precisely  similar  to  that  of  the  Polytechnic  School 
of  Paris.  It  is  entirely  military.  As  soon  as  the 
scholars  leave  these  institutions,  they  are  provided 
with  situations  under  the  government.  Nicholas 
frequently  visited  these  pet  institutions  in  person. 
He  occasionally  arose  from  his  bed  at  midnight; 
and  entering  a  one-horse  droschki,  made  a  solitary 

*  Dobrowsky  divides  the  Slavonic  dialects  into  two  classes: — 

A.  The  south-eastern. 

1.  The  Russian  ecclesiastical  language,  or  the  old  Slavonic;  2.  The 
Russian;  3.  The  Serbish,  (Illyrian;)  4.  The  Croatish;  5.  The  Wendish, 
spoken  in  Camiola,  Styria,  and  Carinthia. 

B.  The  north-western. 

1.  The  Slovac ;  2.  The  Bohemian ;  3.  The  Wendish,  in  Upper  Lu- 
gatia ;  4.  The  Wendish,  in  Lower  Lusatia ;  5.  The  Polish,  with  the 
Silesian  dialect. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  171 

tour  of  inspection  to  these  schools.  On  entering 
the  sleeping  apartments,  his  first  glance,  true  as 
ever  to  physical  interests,  *was  at  the  thermometer. 
If  it  did  not  range  precisely  at  the  prescribed  figure 
of  fourteen  degrees,  he  punished  the  neglect  of  the 
official  with  severity.  He  then  examined  the  beds, 
pulled  off  the  bedclothes,  scrutinized  the  linen ;  and 
sometimes  when  pleased,  and  in  a  good  humour,  he 
challenged  the  children  to  wrestle  with  him ;  and 
it  was  not  an  uncommon  sight,  to  behold  half  a 
dozen  lads  clinging  convulsively  around  the  tall 
form  of  the  czar,  and  attempting  their  utmost  to 
throw  the  ruler  of  sixty-five  millions  of  people  upon 
the  floor.* 

It  is  a  circumstance  worthy  of  note,  that  during 
the  long  reign  of  Nicholas,  which  extended  for 
thirty  years,  while  vast  accessions  were  constantly 
made,  to  the  territories  of  his  empire ;  while  his  re- 
nown as  a  statesman  and  as  a  warrior  became  more 
and  more  exalted,  and  the  physical  forces  of  his  vast 
realms  became  more  and  more  effectively  developed ; 
and  while  his  subjects  beheld  the  example  of  other 
and  surrounding  nations,  who  were  achieving  great 
and  honourable  advances  in  the  pathway  of  science 

*  Pictures  of  St.  Petersburg,  by  Jerrman,  p.  53. 


172  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

and  literature;  the  Russian  nation  accomplished 
very  little  in  the  same  direction.  Those  many  mil- 
lions of  rational  intellects,  with  comparatively  few 
exceptions,  during  those  thirty  years,  either  re- 
mained dormant  in  the  ignoble  sleep  of  ignorance ; 
or  else  confined  their  energies  to  the  attainment 
only  of  physical  ends  and  advantages,  regardless  of 
the  nobler  wants  and  necessities  of  the  immortal 
mind. 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  173 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PERSONAL  QUALITIES  OF  NICHOLAS — HIS  PHYSICAL  APPEARANCE — HIS 
MENTAL  QUALITIES — HIS  CLAIMS  TO  BEING  A  COIEAT  MAN — HIS  DES- 
POTIC SPIRIT — HIS  CRUELTIES — THE  OWNER  OF  TWENTY  MILLIONS 
OF  SERFS^FAVOURABLE  FEATURES  OF  HIS  CHARACTER — HIS  INTRE- 
PIDITY— HIS  QUALITIES  AS  A  HUSBAND  AND  FATHER — HIS  AMOROUS 
INTRIGUES. 

NICHOLAS  I.  was  so  remarkable  a  personage  both 
in  regard  to  his  individual  qualities,  and  with  refer- 
ence to  his  exalted  station,  and  his  historical  conse- 
quence, that  a  close  and  accurate  examination  of  his 
attributes  and  characteristics,  is  both  a  pleasing  and 
an  instructive  study. 

Let  us  then  boldly  enter  the  audience  chamber  of 
the  great  czar.  Let  us  approach  to  the  foot  of  the 
august  throne  on  which  he  sits.  Let  us  elevate  our 
eyes  to  the  colossus  who  occupies  it;  and  then 
boldly  and  even  impertinently  scrutinize  the  man, 
and  the  monarch,  before  whose  power  so  many  mil- 
lions, in  so  many  climes,  have  quailed  and  trembled. 

And  first,  in  regard  to  his  physical  appearance,  it 
is  certainly  true,  that  if  ever  a  human  being  seemed 
intended  for  a  monarch,  by  the  possession  of  exterior 

"  15* 


174  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

advantages  of  a  majestic  figure,  and  high  and  kingly 
bearing,  it  was  the  Czar  Nicholas.  His  person  was 
six  feet  three  inches  in  height.  It  was  moulded  in 
nature's  finest  proportions.  He  was  beyond  ques- 
tion the  handsomest  man  in  his  court  or  empire. 
His  features  were  regular,  dignified,  and  pleasing, 
with  but  one  exception.  His  eye  was  the  eye  of  a 
despot.  It  seemed  to  scan  with  cold,  penetrating, 
unsympathizing  severity,  every  one  who  came  be- 
neath his  observation.  He  delighted  to  witness  its 
effects  upon  his  courtiers,  and  to  see  the  proudest, 
the  bravest,  and  the  most  illustrious,  recoil  from  his 
glance,  and  cower  before  him.  Sufficiently  appre- 
ciating, as  he  did,  his  superior  physical  advantages, 
he  took  considerable  pains  to  set  them  forth  with 
the  greatest  effect.  He  was  very  attentive  to  his 
dress;  usually  wore  the  stiff  though  brilliant  uni- 
form of  a  general  officer ;  and  was  in  the  habit  of 
carrying  the  custom  of  tight-lacing  so  prevalent  in 
the  Russian  army,  to  such  an  immoderate  extent, 
that  it  seriously  injured  his  health.  Though  pos- 
sessing great  breadth  of  shoulder,  he  must  needs 
also  sport  a  wasp-like  waist ;  and  to  accomplish  this 
end,  he  endured  a  degree  of  tight-lacing,  from 
which  a  Parisian  loreite  might,  and  probably  would, 
have  resolutely  rebelled!  It  is  said,  that  he  often 
fainted,  after  having  ungirthed  himself;  and  it. is 


OP  NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  175 

supposed  that  this  pernicious  habit  contributed  very 
materially  to  shorten  his  life. 

The  features  of  Nicholas  were  strictly  Grecian. 
His  forehead  and  nose  were  in  one  continuous  line. 
His  mouth  was  regular ;  his  teeth  were  fine ;  and  a 
dark  mustache  .and  small  whiskers  traversed  the 
centre  of  his  face.  His  general  expression  was  that 
of  command,  accompanied  with  boldness,  resolu- 
tion, and  a  freezing,  heartless  dignity. 

The  mental  qualities  and  characteristics  of  the 
czar  were  equally  remarkable;  although  here  the 
same  phenomenon  presents  itself, — that  of  a  cluster 
of  great  qualities,  marred  by  the  presence  of  one  car- 
dinal defect  which  tarnished  the  lustre  of  the  whole. 
As  the  eye  of  Nicholas  condemned  his  face  and  per- 
son, so  the  absence  of  human  sympathy  stamped  his 
mental  and  moral  nature  as  repulsive,  and  as  devoid 
of  the  attractive  and  pleasing  principle. 

The  talents  of  Nicholas  as  the  administrator  of  the 
affairs  of  a  vast  and  heterogeneous  empire  were  of  a 
high  order.  He  was  able  to  grasp  an  infinite  variety 
of  details,  and  to  introduce  consistency  and  harmony 
throughout  all  the  ramifications  of  the  government. 
But  that  government  was  pre-eminently  a  despotic 
one.  Nicholas  was  a  greater  tyrant  than  any  of  his 
predecessors, — than  Peter  the  Great,  than  Catherine 
II. ,  than  Paul  I.  So  many  successive  reigns,  the  con- 


176  THE  LIFE   AND    REIGN 

tinual  -policy  of  which  was  to  perfect  the  absolutism 
of  the  central  government,  had  brought  the  tree  of 
despotism  to  its  fullest  growth.  The  additional  aid 
which  war  and  European  science  had  given  him  and 
his  agents,  had  introduced  throughout  his  domi- 
nions a  vast  levelling  system ;  and  the  throne  alone 
then  towered,  in  awful  and  terrific  majesty,  above 
the  wide  and  monotonous  waste  of  his  empire,  like 
Mont  Blanc  shooting  far  upward  into  the  heavens 
from  the  midst  of  a  boundless  and  uniform  desert. 

Nicholas  had  not  indeed  the  brutal  instincts  of 
Peter  the  Great;  neither  had  he  his  great  talents. 
He  would  never  have  accomplished  much  for  the 
improvement  of  his  dominions  and  the  education  of 
his  people,  had  he  been  placed  in  the  same  situation 
in  which  that  founder  of  the  empire  was  placed. 
.Nicholas  had  not  the  disordered  passions  of  his 
grandmother,  the  voluptuous  Catherine ;  neither  had 
he  her  capacious  mind,  her  enlightened  views,  her 
benevolence,  her  womanly  tenderness,  her  brilliancy 
of  intellect.  If  he  did  not,  like  her,  convert  his 
palace  into  a  temple  of  Venus,  he  could  not,  as  did 
she,  permit  his  subjects  to  enjoy  every  liberty,  social, 
political,  and  intellectual,  and  especially  religious, 
which  did  not  directly  impede  the  march  of  her 
government.  Nicholas  was  not  the  man,  in  a  mo- 
ment of  trivial  frivolity,  to  shoot  down,  for  a  wager, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  177 

a  poor  female  slave  working  in  his  garden,  as  did 
his  brother  Constantine;  nor  would  he,  like  Con- 
stantine,  have  resigned  the  brilliant  throne  of  all 
the  Russias,  to  allay  the  apprehensions,  and  to  dry 
the  tears,  of  a  woman  whom  he  loved. 

In  truth,  it  may  be  said  that  Nicholas  was  the 
most  destructive  and  cruel  despot,  who  disgraced 
the  nineteenth  century ;  and  facts  will  amply  justify 
this  apparently  severe  declaration.  Without  talents 
of  the  highest  order,  he  possessed  just  enough  of 
clearness  of  purpose,  of  resolution,  of  perseverance, 
and  of  sagacity,  to  enable  him  to  see  what  measures 
tended  most  to  increase  the  omnipotence  of  his 
throne ;  and  to  pursue  the  accomplishment  of  those 
measures,  even  though  his  pathway  led  through 
seas  of  human  blood,  and  amid  the  groans,  and 
agonies,  and  even  ruin,  of  millions  of  men.  During 
the  thirty  years  of  his  reign,  more  persons  have 
been  computed  to  have  perished  by  various  means, 
of  which  he  was  the  cause  and  the  agent,  than  in  all 
the  preceding  reigns,  until  the  time  of  Peter  the 
Great  inclusive.  Thus,  men  were  not  punished, 
during  his  reign,  in  the  same  barbarous  manner,  as 
they  were  by  some  of  his  predecessors.  They  were 
not  impaled  alive.  They  were  not  burned  to  death. 
They  were  not  hanged  up  by  iron  hooks  inserted  in 
their  ribs,  and  left  thus  to  die.  But  it  is  a  fact,  which 


178  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

cannot  be  controverted,  that  during  the  reign  of 
Nicholas,  whole  companies  of  Polish  prisoners  were 
whipped  to  death ;  that  the  knout  and  the  battogues 
were  inflicted  upon  myriads  for  political  offences ; 
that  these  wretches,  after  having  thus  had  their  flesh 
torn  away  in  strips  from  the  bone,  were  the  next 
day  compelled  to  commence  on  foot  their  dreary 
journey  to  Siberia ;  and  that  multitudes  perished  in 
a  few  days,  on  the  way.  It  is  an  ascertained  fact, 
that  during  his  long  reign,  Nicholas  I.  condemned 
at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  persons  to 
the  mines  of  Siberia  for  life ;  nearly  all  of  whom 
were  merely  political  offenders,  whose  only  crime 
had  been,  that  they  had  dared  to  dream,  and  some- 
times also  to  speak,  of  freedom !  Add  to  all  these, 
the  multitudes  who  have  been  swept  away  by  the 
rude  storms  of  war;  who  have  fallen  beneath  the 
pestilence  and  famine,  and  at  the  cannon's  mouth ; 
who,  had  it  not  been  for  his  insatiable  aggressions, 
had  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  peace; — and  we  will 
form  a  true,  and  certainly  an  unprejudiced,  opinion 
of  the  character  and  influence  of  the  czar.* 

Nicholas,  true  to  his  despotic  instincts,  was  the 
possessor  of  twenty  millions  of  slaves,  who  belonged 


*  See  facts  stated  in  "Revelations  in  Russia  in  1844,"  London, 
Colburn,  1845. 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.  179 

absolutely  to  his  personal  domain.  Every  year  he 
increased  the  number  of  his  slaves  by  lending  money 
to  the  nobles  on  their  serfs ;  and  every  year  he  ap- 
propriated to  himself  a  large  portion  of  them,  as 
unredeemed  pledges.  In  truth,  the  tendency  of  the 
reign  of  Nicholas  was,  to  obliterate  and  destroy  all 
national  interest  in  Russia,  and  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  house  of  Romanoffs  as  the  only 
supreme  and  important  power  in  the  empire ;  to 
which  the  government,  the  army,  the  navy,  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  church,  were  all  to  be  subordinate  and 
contributory. 

The  highest  praise  which  has  ever  been  bestowed 
upon  the  mental  qualities  of  Nicholas  refers  to  his 
presence  of  mind,  and  to  the  fortitude  which  he  dis- 
played on  several  critical  occasions.  His  intrepidity 
and  self-possession  will  not  be  denied.  One  evi- 
dence of  these  qualities  we  have  already  given,  in 
the  conspiracy  which  occurred  at  his  accession.  On 
another  occasion,  when  the  cholera  visited  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, the  population  became  frenzied  with  ter- 
ror and  ignorance,  and  attributed  the  scourge  to 
the  supposition  'that  the  foreigners,  the  physicians, 
and  the  Poles,  had  poisoned  all  the  springs.  Many 
murders  took  place  daily.  At  length  a  vast  crowd 
assembled  in  St.  Isaac's  Square,  vowing  greater 
vengeance  against  the  supposed  authors  of  the 


180  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

calamity.  Nicholas,  from  his  palace  windows,  ba- 
lield  the  infuriated  multitude  approaching,  and  in- 
stantly he  entered  a  droschky,  and  dashed  into  the 
midst  of  them.  Standing  up  in  the  vehicle,  he 
addressed  the  crowd  in  a  loud  voice,  whose  power 
and  volume  were  well  known :  "  Where  are  you 
going,  wretches?"  he  exclaimed.  "You  are  about 
to  murder  innocent  men.  Strike  your  own  breasts 
rather,  and  ask  pardon  of  God  for  your  sins,  which 
have  drawn  this  scourge  upon  your  heads.  On 
your  knees  !"  he  continued;  and  immediately  the 
whole  assembly  obeyed  him  and  then  dispersed. 

In  December,  1837,  the  "Winter  Palace  caught 
fire.  Nicholas  was  at  the  theatre,  at  the  moment 
the  information  was  brought  to  him.  He  arose, 
gave  his  arm  to  the  empress,  conducted  her  to  her 
carriage,  and  ordered  the  coachman  to  drive  to  the 
Anitchkoff  Palace.  He  then  repaired  to  the  scene 
of  the  conflagration.  A  sea  of  fire  illumined  the 
heavens,  and  enveloped  the  home  of  his  cliildhood. 
He  immediately  entered  the  palace,  and  beheld  the 
frightful  dangers  which  surrounded  the  workmen, 
who  had  received  orders  to  remove  a  portion  of  the 
furniture.  They  all  obeyed  the  command  of  the 
czar  to  escape  from  the  falling  building  except  four, 
to  whom  had  been  intrusted  a  magnificent  mirror. 
These  refused  to  leave  the  palace  without  rescuing 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  1*1 

the  precious  article.  Seeing  their  dangerous  deter- 
mination, Nicholas  rushed  forward  in  the  midst  of 
the  falling  fragments,  and  by  a  blow  with  the  hilt 
of  his  sword,  shattered  the  mirror  to  fragments. 
Scarcely  had  he  and  the  workmen  passed  the 
threshold  before  the  roof  fell  in  with  a  terrible  crash. 
He  had,  at  least,  saved  four  lives,  if  he  had  wasted 
myriads  elsewhere,  and  in  a  less  noble  cause  ! 

The  conduct  of  Nicholas,  as  a  father,  and  as  a 
husband,  is  indeed  the  highest  merit  of  which  he 
can  boast.  He  is  universally  admitted  to  have 
been  tender  and  affectionate  toward  the  empress, 
and  gentle  and  kind  toward  his  children ; — though 
always  keeping  them  at  a  respectful  and  awe-struck 
distance.  As  to  his  faithfulness  as  a  husband,  con- 
tradictory rumours  are  in  existence.  There  are 
some  persons  who  assert  that,  unlike  every  other 
prince  of  the  Romanoff  family, — and,  indeed, 
strikingly  unlike  princes  in  general, —  his  nature 
was  too  cold  to  be  attracted  or  influenced  in  the 
slightest  degree,  by  female  charms.  One  of  the 
most  fascinating  and  beautiful  ladies  of  his  court 
said  of  him:  line  pent  pas  tire  leger;  il  vous  dit 
tout  crfiment  qu'il  vous  trouve  jolie,  mats  rien  de  plus  /* 


*  He  cannot  trifle :  he  tells  you  quite  bluntly,  that  he  finds  you 

handsome,  but  nothing  more. 

16 


182  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

It  has,  however,  been  asserted  by  others,  that 
Nicholas  possessed  different  mistresses.  Some 
scandal  to  that  effect,  has  certainly  had  currency 
in  St.  Petersburg ;  and  he  has  been  also  charged,  in 
several  instances,  with  the  unprincipled  seduction 
of  married  women,  who  were  connected  with  the 
court.  But  whatever  may  have  been  the  truth  in 
regard  to  this  subject,  it  is  certain,  that  Nicholas 
was  not  very  much  given  to  licentiousness ;  and 
that  the  indulgences,  of  which  he  may  have  been 
guilty,  were  so  carefully  concealed  by  him  from 
the  observation  and  scrutiny  of  his  subjects,  as  to 
leave  the  question  of  their  existence  a  matter  of 
impenetrable  obscurity.  It  is  related,  as  illustra- 
tive of  his  caution  in  this  respect,  that  one  -snowy 
night,  about  midnight,  issuing  from  the  palace 
incognito,  he  entered  a  sledge ;  then  drove  to  a  re- 
mote quarter  of  the  city,  and  disappeared  amid  the 
labyrinth  of  streets.  He  had  ordered  the  istworsts- 
ckick,  or  driver,  to  wait  for  him.  As  the  gray 
tints  of  morning  began  to  illumine  the  east,  he 
returned  to  the  sledge,  and  ordered  the  driver  to 
proceed.  Arrived  near  the  "Winter  Palace,  he 
directed  the  man  to  stop.  Nicholas  dismounted 
from  the  sledge;  and  turning  to  the  driver, 'he 
said,  "Do  you  know  me?"  The  man  shrewdly 
answered,  "No."  Nicholas,  taking  his  purse  from 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  183 

his  pocket,  emptied  its  contents  into  the  hands 
of  the  driver,  turned  away,  and  re-entered  the 
palace.  The  adroit  ignorance  of  the  man  had  ob- 
tained an  ample  and  unexpected  reward ! 

People  will  surmise,  with  facts  like  these  before 
them,  that  the  conduct  of  the  stern  czar,  with  re- 
ference to  the  fairer  sex,  was  not,  to  say  the  least, 
entirely  immaculate ! 


184  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY  IN  RUSSIA — MORALS  OF  THE  NOBLES 
OR  BOYARDS ORDERS  OF  THE  TCHINN THE  CONDITION  AND  CHA- 
RACTER OF  THE  SERFS VENALITY  AND  CORRUPTION  OF  THE  GO- 
VERNMENT OFFICIALS  OF  RUSSIA THE  MACHINERY  OF  GOVERNMENT 

UNDER    THE    CZAR THE    SENATE THE    COUNCIL    OF    THE    EMPIRE 

THE     HOLY     SYNOD THE     MINISTRY — MUNICIPAL     GOVERNMENT     OF 

THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS — THE    GREEK    CHURCH CHARACTER  OF  THE 

GREEK    PRIESTHOOD THE    HIERARCHY  OF  THE    GREEK    CHURCH ITS 

CEREMONIES THE    ARMY    OF    RUSSIA VAST    MILITARY    FORCES    AT 

THE    COMMAND    OF    THE    CZAK. 

WHATEVER  may  have  been  the  peculiarities  of 
Russian  society,  manners,  and  government,  during 
the  last  thirty  years,  they  can  with  justice  be  as- 
cribed to  the  plastic  and  creative  power  of  Nicho- 
las; for  had  they  not  been  precisely  in  harmony 
with  his  wishes,  we  may  readily  believe,  that  his 
resistless  and  arbitrary  will  would  have  altered  and 
moulded  them  perfectly  to  his  liking. 

Hence  a  very  brief  survey  of  the  manners,  so- 
ciety, and  government  of  Russia  is  indispensable 
to  a  proper  conception  of  the  dominion  exercised 
by  the  czar,  and  of  the  nature  of  his  reign. 

Society  in  Russia  may  be  correctly  divided  into 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  185 

three  classes.  These  are :  first,  the  hereditary  no- 
bility; second,  those  who  are  in  the  employment 
of  the  government ;  and  third,  the  peasantry,  whe- 
ther they  are  private  serfs,  serfs  of  the  crown,  or 
freed-men. 

The  hereditary  nobles  are  more  polished  than 
they  are  civilized,  exceedingly  licentious  in  their 
morals,  and  extravagant  in  their  habits.  Many 
of  them  yearly  become  reduced,  by  their  lavish 
wastefulness,  to  poverty;  and  their  property 
usually  passes  into  the  possession  of  the  imperial 
family.  Thus,  as  already  stated,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  slaves  had,  from  time  to  time,  been 
mortgaged  to  Nicholas  by  the  nobles;  and,  being 
usually  unable  to  redeem  their  pledges,  they  fell 
into  the  all-devouring  vortex  of  the  czar's  pos- 
session. This  class,  therefore,  of  the  Russian  nation 
hate  the  autocrat.  It  was  among  this  class,  that 
nearly  all  the  conspirators,  who  undertook  to  over- 
turn the  throne  at  the  accession  of  Nicholas,  be- 
longed. But  they  are  a  conquered  race,  and  are, 
therefore,  harmlessly  hostile  to  the  omnific  su- 
premacy of  the  czar. 

The  second  class,  or  the  nobility  of  office,  are  a 
peculiar  race,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  very  nume- 
rous one.  This  class  comprises  all  the  govern- 
ment officials  throughout  the  empire,  and  they 

16* 


THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

constitute  the  various  ranks  of  the  great  Order 
of  the  Tchinn.  The  members  of  this  order  are 
termed  the  Tchinnovnicks.  It  was  founded  by- 
Peter  the  Great,  and  the  order  contains  fourteen 
classes.  The  first  class  of  these  is  the  highest, 
and  is  said  to  number  but  one  single  member, 
who  is  Marshal  Paskiewitch.  The  fourteenth  class 
is  the  lowest,  and  the  most  numerous.  It  comprises 
all  the  government  clerks,  clerks  of  the  post-office, 
and  the  post-men ;  and  the  rank  answers  to  that 
of  a  sub-officer  in  the  imperial  army.  All  the 
classes  of  the  Tchinn  correspond  to  as  many  mili- 
tary grades,  and  the  hierarchy  of  the  army  is 
parallel  with  the  ranks  which  prevail  in  the  civil 
service. 

This  second  class  in  the  nation  are  despised  by 
the  hereditary  nobles ;  against  whom  they  retaliate 
by  every  species  of  persecution.  The  emperor 
alone  advances  the  members  of  the  Tchinn. 
They  are  the  most  corrupt  race  of  beings  in  the 
world.  Bribery  is  universal  among  them,  even 
to  the  very  highest  functionaries.  They  possess 
vast  power  in  the  state ;  because,  by  becoming 
informers,  they  can  bring  the  most  eminent  no- 
bles under  the  suspicion  of  the  government,  by 
the  use  of  false  and  malicious  representations. 
And  in  a  despotic  government,  to  become  sus- 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.          187 

pected  is  almost  equivalent  to  being  mined. 
The  Tchinn  wears  the  imperial  button;  and  that 
single  badge  is  a  talisman  of  fearful  power  and 
consequence,  however  base,  or  despicable,  or  con- 
temptible the  wretch  may  be,  who  succeeds  in 
securing  the  office  which  it  designates.  He  is 
:  always  addressed  by  the  title  vashe  blagarodie,  "your 
nobility."  He  receives  a  salary  of  fifteen  pounds 
per  annum ;  but  he  makes  up  by  bribery  and  ex- 
tortion, an  immense  sum,  on  which  he  lives  in 
opulence  and  luxury.  The  illegal  perquisites  of 
some  of  the  higher  orders  of  these  officials  are  said 
to  amount  to  $100,000  per  year. 

The  serfs  constitute  the  third  class  of  the  nation, 
and  their  condition  is  one  of  mingled  misery  and 
prosperity.  Some  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  St. 
Petersburg  are  known  to  be  serfs — either  private 
serfs  or  freed-men.  By  the  law,  the  serf,  if  he  can 
acquire  property  without  defrauding  his  master  of 
his  time  and  services,  is  permitted  to  do  so ;  and  his 
master  cannot  despoil  him  of  his  possessions,  so 
obtained.  Those  few  serfs  who  are  rich  are  the 
favourites  of  benevolent  masters,  who  take  an  in- 
terest in  them,  and  protect  them  in  their  acquisi- 
tions. But  the  millions  who  are  in  bondage  in 
Russia,  and  who  constitute  the  great  mass  of  the 


188  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

nation,  are  in  a  state  of  the  most  deplorable  poverty 
and  wretchedness. 

It  has  been  asserted,  that  Nicholas  made  consider- 
able exertions  to  free  the  serfs  of  his  empire ;  but 
we  have  been  able  to  discover  little  evidence  of  the 
amelioration  of  their  condition,  through  his  instru- 
mentality. It  is  a  notorious  fact,  that  three-fourths 
of  the  eventualities,  which  release  the  serf  from  the 
yoke  of  his  private  master,  convey  him  directly  into 
the  domain  of  the  crown.  There  is  no  country  in 
the  world,  in  which  it  may  be  said  with  equal  truth, 
as  in  Russia,  that  every  man  has  his  price.  The 
minister,  the  judge,  the  general,  the  priest,  down 
even  to  the  public  executioner, — all  have  their 
prices,  in  gold  ;  and  in  such  a  land  it  would  be  ab- 
surd to  expect,  that  so  benevolent  and  disinterested 
a  project  as  the  enfranchisement  of  the  serfs  could 
ever  be  seriously  proposed  and  executed.  The 
serfs  of  the  Russian  Empire  will  doubtless  re- 
main as  they  are,  either  until  the  end  of  time,  or 
until  the  growing  light  and  freedom  of  these  latter 
ages,  shall  at  length  overturn  a  despotism  even 
as  gigantic  and  rockbuilt,  as  is  that  of  the  czars  of 
Muscovy. 

In  regard  to  the  organization  of  the  government, 
throughout  the  empire,  some  idea  of  its  arrange- 
ment may  be  derived  from  the  following  details, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  189 

which  are  obtained  from  the  most  authentic  works 
on  the  subject.* 

Though,  strictly  speaking,  there  is  but  one  author- 
ity, that  of  the  emperor,  in  Russia,  yet  he  employs 
a  very  complicated  machinery  as  the  instrument  of 
his  purposes.  The  three  principal  councils  of  the 
•  empire  are — 1.  The  Council  of  the  Empire ;  2.  The 
Holy  Synod ;  3.  The  Directing  Senate. 

The  Council  of  the  Empire  was  established  by 
Alexander  I.  in  1810,  and  its  functions  are,  to  exa- 
mine the  administrative  measures  relating  to  the 
home  policy  submitted  to  it  by  the  emperor.  It 
consists  of  all  the  imperial  princes,  and  of  states- 
men, generals,  and  admirals  who  are  appointed  by 
the  sovereign.  Its  complement  of  members  is 
forty.  This  council  is  divided  into  five  depart- 
ments. These  refer — 1.  To  Laws;  2.  The  Army 
and  Navy;  3.  Civil  and  Ecclesiastical  Affairs;  4. 
Public  Economy  and  Commerce ;  5.  Poland.  The 
members  of  the  council  meet  in  common  or  in  de- 
partments, according  to  the  subject  to  be  discussed. 
When  it  meets  in  common,  the  emperor  presides ; 
when  it  meets  apart,  a  president  is  appointed. 

The  Holy  Synod  attends  to  all  ecclesiastical  affairs. 

*  The  following  details  respecting  the  organization  of  the  czar's 
government,  are  derived  from  the  works  of  Golovin  and  Morrell, 
with  an  occasional  fact  from  the  Marquis  de  Custine. 


190  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

It  only  depends  on  the  emperor,  who  is  represented 
by  an  attorney.  This  attorney  was  recently  a  ca- 
valry officer,  General  Protasoff.  The  number  of  its 
members  is  not  determined,  but  they  must  all  be 
ecclesiastics.  It  generally  consists  of  a  metropolitan, 
three  archbishops,  one  bishop,  the  confessor  of  the 
emperor,  an  archimandrid,  the  general  almoner  of 
the  army  and  navy,  and  a  protopope.  One  section 
of  the  synod  remains  at  Moscow ;  but  capital  cases 
are  all  decided  at  St.  Petersburg. 

The  Directing  Senate,  was  founded  in  1711  by 
Peter  the  Great.  It  contains  about  one  hundred 
members,  who  are  chosen  by  the  emperor  from  the 
three  first  classes  of  the  state.  The  ministers  have 
a  right  to  four  members  in  it,  as  also  generals  of 
the  army  when  at  St.  Petersburg. 

The  Directing  Senate  is  the  highest  legislative 
authority  in  the  state ;  but  the  emperor  can  confirm 
or  annul  its  decisions.  It  watches  ovef  the  execu- 
tion of  the  imperial  mandates.  It  answers  the  pur- 
pose of  a  court  of  final  appeal  in  civil  and  criminal 
matters.  It  scrutinizes  the  expenditures  of  the 
state,  and  suggests  measures  for  the  relief  of  the 
p&ople.  It  has  eleven  departments,  six  at  St.  Peters- 
burg, three  at  Moscow,  and  two  at  Warsaw.  The 
emperor  is  its  president,  and  can  annul  all  its  pro- 
ceedings. The  emperor  is  as  absolute  now,  as  in 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  1  /I 

the  times  of  Ivan  the  Terrible.  All  the  guarantee 
which  the  privileges  of  the  nation  possess,  is  the 
pleasure  of  the  monarch,  who  may  grant  and  abro- 
gate whatever  he  pleases.  In  order  to  prevent  the 
youth  of  the  empire  from  studying  in  the  univer- 
sities of  Europe,  Nicholas  promulgated  a  ukase 
which  declared  all  who  did  so  incapable  of  after- 
ward holding  office  under  his  government. 

After  these  councils  there  are  the  Committees  of 
Ministers,  presided  over  by  the  emperor.  Alexan- 
der I.  created  ministries  independent  of  each  other, 
with  no  other  connecting  link  than  the  emperor. 
The  ministries  are  nine  in  number:  the  Imperial 
Household;  the  Interior  or  Home  Department; 
Foreign  Affairs ;  War ;  the  Navy ;  the  Army ;  Edu- 
cation ;  Finance ;  Justice.  There  are  also  three 
general  Directions :  the  Imperial  Post ;  the  High- 
ways; the  Board  of  Control,  for  auditing  all  the 
expenses  of  the  empire. 

On  the  ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  depend  the 
envoys  to  foreign  countries,  who  are  divided  into 
three  classes :  three  ambassadors  of  the  first  class 
are  at  Vienna,  Paris,  and  London ;  seventeen  mi-, 
lusters  plenipotentiary  are  at  Berlin,  Stockholm, 
Copenhagen,  the  Hague,  Brussels,  Lisbon,  Turin, 
Rome,  Naples,  Constantinople,  Munich,  Dresden, 
Stuttgard,  Frankfort,  Washington,  Rio  Janeiro,  and 


192  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

Teheran;  seven  Charges-d'Affaires  are  in  Switzer- 
land, Carlsruhe,  Florence,  Weimar,  Hamburg, 
Athens,  and  Lucca.  There  are  also  many  consuls- 
general  and  consuls  residing  at  points  of  minor 
importance. 

Passing  on  to  the  internal  government  of  the 
empire,  we  find  in  every  provincial  capital  a  cham- 
ber of  regency,  which  attends  to  matters  of  general 
administration.  The  civil  governor  is  the  presi- 
dent. The  chamber  is  composed  of  four  counsel- 
lors, named  by  the  czar.  Every  district  has  its  tri- 
bunal of  police,  which  does  not  possess  any  judicial 
authority.  It  has  to  attend  to  inquiries  into  political 
and  criminal  affairs.  The  principal  agents  of  the 
government  in  the  provinces  are  the  governor- 
general  and  the  local  governors.  They  inflict  the 
penalties  of  all  criminal  offences. 

There  is  also  in  each  town  a  common  municipal 
council,  and  a  council  of  six,  presided  over  by  the 
chief  of  the  burghers.  They  are  renewed  every 
three  years.  The  first  of  these  attends  to  the  com- 
mercial interests,  and  to  the  good  order  of  the 
parish.  The  other  keeps  in  repair  the  buildings, 
and  superintends  the  finances  of  the  parish.  Each 
town  has  also  a  commandant,  named  by  the  govern- 
ment. Each  province  has  a  chamber  of  finance, 
composed  of  a  president  and  several  counsellors, 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  1 ',»•!> 

-\vlio  superintend  the  manufactures,  the  exports,  and 
imports.  , 

The  institutions  connected  with  state  credit  are 
four  in  number:  the  Commission  for  liquidating 
the  national  debt ;  the  Bank  for  the  issue  of  paper 
money ;  the  Loan  Bank,  to  make  advances  from  the 
public  funds;  the  Commercial  Bank,  making  dis- 
count and  advancing  money  on  goods. 

In  judicial  matters,  each  province  has  a  Civil 
Chamber  and  a  Criminal  Chamber.  An  attorney, 
dependent  on  the  Minister  of  Justice,  resides  in 
each  province,  to  represent  the  government.  There 
are  three  degrees  in  the  Russian  courts  of  law :  the 
District  Court;  the  Government  Court;  the  Depart- 
ments of  the  Senate.  In  all  judicial  proceedings, 
however,  there  are  seven  jurisdictions  to  which 
appeals  may  be  successively  made :  the  Attorney- 
General  of  the  Departments  of  the  Senate;  the 
Commission  of  Petitions,  to  refer  matters  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Senate;  the  Assembly; 
the  Minister  of  Justice  ;  the  Commission  to  transfer 
affairs  to  the  Council  of  the  Empire ;  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Council  of  the  Empire ;  the  emperor 
himself,  before  whom  every  litigation  may  be 
brought  as  its  final  arbiter,  without  the  possibility 
of  appeal. 

Having  thus  detailed  the  machinery  of  the  Rus- 

17 


194  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

sian  government,  as  administered  by  Nicholas,  let 
us  glance  at  the  next  great  department  .of  the  na- 
tional fabric,  the  Greek  Church,  as  established  by 
law  throughout  the  empire.* 

The  emperor  is  the  acknowledged  head  of  the 
Russian  church.  The  influence  of  the  Patriarchs 
of  Constantinople  has  always  been  slight  in  Russia. 
After  the  fall  of  Constantinople,  the  Patriarchs 
passed  under  Turkish  and  Mohammedan  control, 
which,  however,  was  scarcely  more  injurious  than 
that  of  the  Russian  autocrat  would  have  been. 
Under  tyrants  like  Ivan  IV.  the  authority  of  the 
Patriarchs  which  were  afterward  appointed  in 
Russia,  became  powerless. 

Golovin  says  :  "I  know  the  Russian  clergy,  and  I 
assert  that  their  authority  is  not  at  all  preferable  to 
that  of  the  czar.  Peter  I.  abolished  the  oflice  of 
Patriarch  in  Russia,  and  substituted  the  Holy  Synod 
in  its  place.  Theoretically,  this  synod  is  a  laudable 
institution ;  but  its  usefulness  is  greatly  impaired 
by  the  blind  obedience  which  it  renders  to  the 
orders  of  the  czar.  The  Holy  Synod  judges  of  the 
changes  suitable  to  be  introduced  into  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  cle'rgy ;  but  its  real  power  is  limited 

*  The  following  details  in  reference  to  the  Greek  Church,  as  esta- 
blished in  Russia,  are  derived  from  Morell,  Golovin,  and  de  Custine, 
writers  referred  to  in  a  previous  note. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  105 

to  signing  the  orders  that  emanate  from  the  attor- 
ney of  the  emperor,  General  Protosoff.  The  finan- 
cial matters  of  the  convents  are  the  only  questions 
on  which  the  synod  can  deliberate  freely;  and  it 
is  besieged  with  innumerable  complaints  on  this 
score." 

There  are  three  degrees  of  jurisdiction  in  the 
Russian  church :  1.  The  Holy  Synod ;  2.  The  Con- 
sistory; 3.  The  Prastenie  or  Goubernium.  The 
priesthood  is  divided  into  two  sections,  the  regular 
and  the  secular  priests.  The  Consistory  is  an  ad- 
ministrative and  judiciary  court,  but  the  bishop 
exercises  absolute  control  over  it.  It  is  said  that 
indulgence,  moderation,  and  even  justice,  are  un- 
known in  this  court ;  and  that  the  accused  priests 
generally  prefer  to  be  judged  by  the  civil  courts. 

The  Prastenie  exists  in  most  district  towns.  The 
superior  of  the  most  important  convent  in  the  dis- 
trict is  usually  at  its  head.  Archpriests,  and  some 
ordinary  priests,  are  appointed  to  sit  in  these  bodies. 
Infractions  of  discipline  are  judged  and  punished 
in  them.  It  is  only  in  cases  of  thefts  committed 
by  members  of  the  superior  clergy,  that  the  bishop 
refers  the  matter  to  the  Holy  Synod.  Strange  as 
it  may  appear,  these  cases  are  by  no  means  rare. 
Ecclesiastical  delinquencies  among  the  priests  are 
judged  by  the  ecclesiastical  courts,  and  civil  delin- 


196 


THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


(juencies  among  them  are  judged  by  the  civil  courts. 
"When  priests  are  thus  tried  and  convicted,  the 
healthy  and  strong  men  are  sent  into  the  army,  the 
others,  to  the  colonies  or  manufactures.  Despotism 
is  the  basis  of  ecclesiastical,  as  well  as  of  civil, 
authority  in  Russia.  Each  bishop  is  a  despot  in  his 
diocese ;  each  priest  is  a  petty  tyrant  in  his  parish. 

Archbishops,  metropolitans,  and  bishops,  are  ap- 
pointed by  the  emperor,  from  the  candidates  pre- 
sented by  the  synod.  The  bishop,  in  his  turn, 
appoints  the  superiors  of  convents,  protopriests,  and 
other  subordinates,  with  the  confirmation  of  the 
Holy  Synod.  All  the  higher  ecclesiastical  orders 
are  forbidden  to  marry ;  the  lower  orders  of  priests 
may  marry  once.  Hence  the  proverb,  "Happy  as  a 
priest's  wife,"  from  the  good  care  the  priests  take 
of  their  consorts.  It  is  forbidden  even  to  the  lower 
clergy  to  marry  after  ordination;  hence  it  is  the 
usual  custom  for  them  to  marry  immediately  before 
that  ceremony  is  performed. 

The  Russian  Greek  church  condemns  the  use  of 
images ;  yet  its  members  pay  idolatrous  homage  to 
relics  and  religious  paintings.  The  nobles,  as  well 
as  the  serfs,  prostrate  themselves  before  the  most 
wretched  daubs,  and  pray  to  them  with  devout  fervor. 
Some  of  these  vile  pictures  possess  a  widely-spread 
reputation  for  working  miracles.  The  virgins  of 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  197 

Kasan,  of  Smolensk,  and  of  Sikhwen,  are  cele- 
brated for  their  achievements  in  this  benevolent 
way.  As  may  well  be  supposed,  the  pious  frauds 
perpetrated  in  connection  with  these  pictures,  upon 
the  deluded  devotees,  are  of  the  most  outrageous 
and  disgusting  description.  Once  a  priest  conceived 
the  idea  of  planing  away  the  reverse  of  a  picture 
painted  on  wood,  leaving  the  wood  so  thin  at  a  cer- 
tain point,  that  the  flame  of  a  lighted  candle  was 
visible  through  it  from  the  rear.  This  was  pro- 
claimed as  a  vast  miracle,  and  a  whole  province 
was  thrown  into  excitement  in  reference  to  it.  2To 
trade  in  relics  is  openly  permitted,  though  a  frag- 
ment of  a  saint's  garment,  or  his  great  toe,  will 
command  a  handsome  price  ! 

The  churches  of  the  Greek  faith  very  much  re- 
semble Jewish  synagogues  in  their  structure,  being 
divided  into  three  parts — the  sanctuary,  the  parvise 
or  space  in  front  of  the  sanctuary,  and  the  nave. 
The  sanctuary  contains  the  tabernacle  over  the 
altar.  The  gospel,  the  cross,  and  the  chalices,  to- 
gether with  the  missal,  which  is  not  a  consecrated 
book,  remain  upon  the  altar.  The  sanctuary  is 
separated  from  the  nave  by  the  royal  gate,  with  two 
lateral  doors  and  a  suspended  curtain.  A  platform, 
raised  slightly  above  the  body  of  the  church,  called 
the  ambon,  serves  as  a  pulpit  and  a  reading-de^k. 

17* 


198  THE   LIFE   AND   KEIGN 

From  it,  and  not  from  the  altar,  the  communion  is 
administered.  A  profusion  of  tapers  is  used  in  the 
services  of  the  Russian  church,  and  the  Domine 
Salrum  fac  Eegem  is  eternally  repeated  through  the 
celebration  of  the  mass. 

Some  choirs  in  the  Russian  churches  are  excellent; 
but  the  service  is  usually  recited  in  a  mumbling 
tone,  and  in  a  slovenly  manner.  The  Miserere  nobis 
is  also  continually  repeated;  and  in  one  instance  it 
occurs  forty  times  in  succession.  A  certain  profane 
priest  on  one  occasion  undertook  to  shorten  the  in- 
fliction by  saying,  "  0  Lord !  save  us  forty  times !" 

The  Russian  service  is  performed  in  the  old 
Slavonic  language,  which  is,  in  a  great  measure,  a 
dead  language  to  modern  worshippers.  There  are 
fifteen  communion  loaves,  shaped  like  balls,  one 
joined  to  the  other.  One  is  the  loaf  of  Christ,  two 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  three  of  the  saints,  four  of  the 
living,  and  five  of  the  dead.  These  unfortunate 
loaves  are  tortured  and  mutilated  in  every  possible 
manner.  Pieces  pulled  from  them  go  through  va- 
rious destinations  in  the  progress  of  the  communion 
service. 

Baptism  is  performed  with  warmed  water,  and 
never  with  cold.  The  priest  expels  the  devil  from  it, 
by  blowing  over  it,  or  at  it,  three  times,  and  making 
the  sign  of  the,  cross  the  same  number  of  times.  At 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FI^ST.  199 

burials,  the  dead  are  made  to  hold  a  wax  taper  in 
their  hands.  All  heretics  are  cursed  with  singular 
earnestness  and  bitterness. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  Russian  clergy,  is  a 
singular  subject  of  reflection.  The  Marquis  de  Cus- 
tine,  M.  Kohl,  and  other  writers  give  a  deplorable 
account  of  their  ignorance,  their  degradation,  and 
their  wretchedness.  Two-thirds  of  the  lower  clergy 
are  represented  as  being  in  a  state  of  actual  destitu- 
tion. Many  of  them  till  the  ground,  and  labour 
hard,  in  order  to  obtain  a  livelihood.  Many  of  them 
never  wear  shoes,  except  when  actually  engaged  in 
the  performance  of  public  service.  They  are  all  the 
obsequious  slaves  of  the  civil  power,  from  whom 
they  derive  the  small  sa]aries  on  which  they  subsist. 

The  greatest  and  most  prevalent  vice  among  the 
Russian  clergy,  is  drunkenness.  Frequently  they 
remain  in  a  state  of  intoxication  during  the  whole 
week,  and  only  sober  up  on  the  approach  of  Sunday, 
to  perform  their  public  duties.  This  vice  proceeds 
from  their  poverty  and  their  misery,  which  drive 
them  to  it  as  a  relief. 

These  remarks  apply  solely  to  the  inferior  clergy. 
The  higher  order,  or  archpriests,  are  represented  as 
learned  and  exemplary  men.  These  are  the  persons 
who  eventually  rise  to  the  dignity  of  bishops,  archi- 
mandrids,  and  archbishops;  who  sit  in  the  holy 


200  THE    LIFE  AND   REIGN 

synod;  who  become  the  depositaries  of  the  confi- 
dence, and  sometimes  of  the  secrets,  of  the  emperor 
and  his  family.  But  their  numbers  are  very  small 
compared  with  the  vast  multitudes  of  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal orders. 

The  Russian x  church  observes  the  ceremony  or 
sacrament  of  confession  and  absolution,  and  money 
will  purchase  any  quantity  of  indulgences.  No 
priest  in  Russia  can  become  a  peer,  or  deputy  am- 
bassador, or  merchant.  They  become  entirely  un- 
secularized  by  their  ordination.  Yet  they  have 
several  orders  of  merit  among  them,  indicated  by 
the  wearing  of  ribbons.  Some  writers  affirm  that 
the  degradation,  ignorance,  and  vulgarity  of  the 
Russian  ordinary  priests,  exceed  that  of  any  other 
religious  community  in  the  civilized  world;  and 
that  Nicholas  particularly  approved  and  protected 
this  state  of  things,  in  order  to  render  them  the 
more  obsequious  and  effective  instruments  of  his 
all-grasping  and  all-crushing  tyranny. 

The  last  grand  division  of  the  social  and  govern- 
mental aspects  of  the  Russian  empire,  to  which  we 
shall  refer,  is  the  favourite  arm  of  the  late  czar,  the 
great  central  pillar  of  his  throne, — his  military 
establishment. 

The  flower  of  the  Russian  army  are  the  Imperial 
Guards,  numbering  forty  thousand  picked  men. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  201 

They  are  divided  into  fifteen  regiments  of  cavalry, 
containing  12,000  men;  ten  regiments  of  infantry, 
containing  24,000  men;  and  seventeen  battalions 
of  ordnance,  including  sappers,  miners,  horse-artil- 
lery, and  foot-artillery,  containing  4000  men.  These 
are  probably  the  most  formidable-looking  and  im- 
posing soldiery  in  the  world. 

The  rest  of  the  Russian  army,  on  the  peace  esta- 
blishment, comprises  seven  corps  d'armee  and  one 
corps  of  reserve ;  each  corps  containing  50,000  men. 
These  make  a  total  of  350,000.  In  addition  to  these, 
there  are  the  armies  of  Orenberg  and  the  Caucasus, 
which  contain  85,000  more.  To  these  must  be 
added  140  regiments  of  Cossacks  of  the  line,  con- 
taining 80,000  men.  These  added  together  make  a 
grand  total  of  600,000  men ;  as  being  the  standing 
army,  always  maintained  by  the  czars,  whether  in 
time  of  war,  or  of  peace.  With  such  a  prodigious 
military  force  constantly  at  his  command,  and  wait- 
ing for  his  orders,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
haughty  Nicholas,  surrounded  as  he  constantly  was 
with  the  incense  of  the  adulation  of  myriads  of  fawn- 
ing subjects  and  courtiers,  should  have  imagined, 
that  he  had  little  more  to  do,  in  order  to  grasp  the 
sceptre  of  the  sultan,  than  to  order  his  vast  armies 
to  march  to  the  shores  of  the  Golden  Horn  and 
enter  the  gorgeous  gates  of  the  Seraglio !  And  it 


202  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

must  also  be  remembered,  when  estimating  the 
military  resources  of  Nicholas,  that  these  troops 
were  not  raw  recruits.  The  perfect  and  matchless 
discipline  of  the  Russian  army,  is  the  most  remark- 
able feature  which  characterizes  it.  Those  600,000 
men  had  been  drilled  each  day  for  many  years,  with 
the  most  scrupulous  severity  and  rigour.  They  were 
familiar  with  every  possible  military  manoeuvre; 
and  they  were  commanded  by  officers,  whose  attain- 
ments in  military  science  were  inferior  to  those  of 
no  other  nation  in  Europe.  When  taking  these 
facts  into  consideration,  we  may  more  correctly  esti- 
mate the  vast  difficulties  against  which  the  allies 
have  had  to  contend,  in  this  last  great  conflict  with 
the  Russian  autocrat. 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  203 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

EXCESSIVE    VENALITY    AMONG    THE    RUSSIAN     OFFICIALS COUNT    BEN- 

KENDORF — EFFORTS   OF   NICHOLAS   TO    REMEDY   THIS  EVIL — INSTANCE 

OF    JUDICIAL    CORRUPTION — PECULIARITIES     OF     RUSSIAN     SOCIETY 

THE   LADIES    OF   RUSSIA — EXTRAVAGANCE    OF   RUSSIAN    NOBLES — DIS- 
TINGUISHED  MEN   OF  RUSSIA — NESSELRODE ORLOFF — MENTSCHIKOFF 

— PRINCE   PASKIEWITCH — PRINCE   WORONZOF. 

WHOEVER  examines  carefully  the  state  of  society 
and  government  under  Nicholas  will  discover  that 
venality  and  corruption  existed  there,  in  every 
branch  and  department,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest  official ;  and  that  no  other  country  in  Chris- 
tendom presents  a  parallel  to  Russia  in  this  respect. 

It  was  the  prevalent  rumour  that  Count  Benken- 
dorf,  the  chief  of  the  secret  service,  and  four  or  five 
others,  holding  office  under  Nicholas,  were  the  only 
persons  throughout  the  whole  empire,  who  were 
incorruptible. 

In  regard  to  the  courts  of  justice  especially,  the 
most  outrageous  venality  exists.  This  state  of  things 
is  favoured  by  the  methods  of  procedure  adopted  in 
the  Russian  courts.  Oral  pleading  no  longer  exists. 
Trial  by  jury  has  always  been  unknown.  The  pro- 


204  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

ceedings  are  entirely  secret.  The  accused  parties 
are  delivered,  bound,  to  the  tribunals,  who  dispose 
of  them  according  to  their  caprice,  and  without  con- 
trol. The  final  decision  is  not  with  them,  in  general, 
a  question  of  right;  it  is  an  affair  of  interest  and 
speculation. 

There  are  a  certain  number  of  persons  attached  to 
each  court,  who  are  called  scribes  or  advocates,  but 
who  are  in  fact  nothing  less  than  go-betweens  of  the 
judges  and  the  parties.  These  approach  one  of  the 
suitors,  and  make  a  bargain  by  which  the  first  judg- 
ment is  secured  to  him.  The  defeated  party  is  then 
applied  to,  and  induced  to  appeal  to  a  higher  tribunal, 
and  his  bribes  gain  a  judgment  in  his  favour  in  the 
second  court.  The  defeated  party  is  then  taken  in 
hand,  and  he,  by  a  similar  process  gains  the  third  ap- 
peal. And  thus  the  unhappy  litigants  are  alternately 
defrauded  until  either  the  emperor  finally  adjudi- 
cates the  matter,  or  both  parties  are  utterly  ruined. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  one  of  the  best  fea- 
tures connected  with  the  reign  of  Nicholas  was  his 
attempts  to  punish  and  abolish  this  venality;  and 
whenever  a  case  was  brought  clearly  before  him, 
and  the  guilt  of  the  offenders  was  unquestionable, 
he  punished  them  with  the  most  frightful  severity. 
Many  high  judges  he  has  exiled  for  life  to  Siberia. 
Peter  the  Great  justly  declared,  that  in  cheatery,  a 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  205 

single  Russian  was  a  match  for  three  Jews!  The 
police  in  Russia  are  as  corrupt  as  the  other  govern- 
ment officials.  It  is  asserted  that  acknowledged 
thieves  possess,  in  St.  Petersburg,  perfect  security 
in  the  pursuit  of  their  vocation.  The  police  derive 
such  vast  sums  from  their  plunder  that  they  dare 
not  arrest  them,  and  would  not  on  any  account  do 
so,  even  if  they  dared. 

To  confirm  these  assertions  respecting  the  state 
of  official  society  under  Nicholas,  let  us  adduce 
several  actual  instances. 

A  reduced  nobleman  had  been  carrying  on  a  law- 
suit for  several  years,  when  he  was  given  to  under- 
stand, from  the  secretary  of  the  court,  that  unless 
he  paid  ten  thousand  .rubles  ($2000)  the  decision 
would  be  against  him.  The  Unfortunate  man  was 
utterly  unable  to  obtain  any  such  sum;  and  the 
idea  struck  him  to  have  recourse  to  Count  Benken- 
dorf,  the  honest,  to  ascertain  whether  he  could  not 
interfere  in  his  behalf.  He  offered  to  furnish  the 
count  with  unquestionable  proof  of  the  venality 
of  the  judge ;  and  for  that  purpose  he  proposed  that 
he  should  be  intrusted  with  the  ten  thousand  ru- 
bles; and  he  undertook  that  this  sum  should  be 
found  on  the  person  of  the  judge.  Benkendorf 
consented.  The  terror  which  the  severity  of  Ni- 
cholas on  official  corruption  had  inspired  into  all 

18 


206  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

classes  of  functionaries  in  Russia,  had  rendered 
them  exceedingly  cautious  and  adroit;  and  in  the 
present  case  the  judge  proposed,  in  order  to  avoid 
all  danger,  that  the  party  paying  the  bribe  should 
invite  him  to  a  private  dinner  at  a  tavern,  and  there 
pay  over  the  amount.  The  proposition  was  acceded 
to,  and  several  officers  of  police  were  secretly  sta- 
tioned near  the  apartment,  for  the  purpose  of  arrest- 
ing the  judge  on  retiring. 

The  judge  was  punctual  to  the  appointment,  and 
as  soon  as  he  and  the  litigant  were  seated,  he  signi- 
fied by  the  movement  of  his  fingers  that  now  was 
the  time  to  pay  over  the  money.  He  received  the 
roll  of  bank  notes,  carefully  counted  them  over, 
and  then  threw  them  into  his  hat.  At  this  moment 
some  one  knocked.  It  was  the  judge's  nephew, 
who  came  with  some  message  from  his  wife.  The 
judge  gave  him  an  answer,  and  then  bowed  him 
out.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  dinner,  as  he  was 
preparing  to  depart,  and  had  put  his  hat  on  his 
head,  the  poor  noble  gave  the  preconcerted  signal, 
and  the  policemen  entered  with  an  order  from 
Count  Benkendorff  for  the  arrest  of  the  judge. 
"Examine  his  hat,"  said  the  nobleman,  "and  you 
will  find  the  money  in  it."  The  judge  smiled 
blandly,  and  took  off  his  hat :  it  was  empty.  "When 
the  nephew  retired  he  had  taken  up  the  judge's  hat 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  207 

instead  of  his  own.  The  poor  noble  consequently 
not  only  lost  his  case,  but  was  also  compelled  to  re- 
fund the  ten  thousand  rubles ;  and  was,  moreover, 
punished  with  a  prosecution  for  defamation  of  cha- 
racter. 

The  truth  was,  that  the  mercenary  judge  had  re- 
ceived private  information  from  the  officer  of  Count 
Benkendorf,  of  what  was  about  to  transpire.  For 
this  information  he  obtained  his  share  of  the  spoils. 

Nicholas  once  adopted  the  expedient  of  increas- 
ing fourfold  the  salaries  of  the  judges,  with  the 
hope  that  they  would  thus  be  elevated  above  the 
temptation  to  receive  bribes.  He  therefore  ordered 
that  their  salaries  should  be  paid  in  silver  rubles, 
and  not  in  rubles  of  paper  money.  The  conse- 
quence was  quite  different  from  what  the  czar  had 
anticipated.  The  judges  thenceforth  required  that 
the  sums  paid  to  them  privately  as  bribes,  should  be 
counted  in  silver,  and  not  in  paper  rubles. 

The  great  peculiarity  of  Russian  society  under 
Nicholas  was  the  mania  for  ostentation.  The  Grand 
Opera  in  St.  Petersburg  presents,  in  its  audience, 
the  most  brilliant  and  magnificent  display  ever  seen 
in  any  of  the  capitals  of  Europe.  On  being  intro- 
duced to  a  Russian  nobleman,  his  guest  is  taken, 
through  his  saloons,  and  having  admired  their  splen- 
dour, the  host  exclaims,  "This  is  yours."  If  the 


208  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

guest  is  fond  of  wine,  the  host  tells  him  that  in  his 
cellar  are  all  the  brands  in  the  world,  and  that  his 
guest  shall  taste  them  all  in  turn. 

The  ladies  of  Russia  are  represented  as  being 
every  way  superior  to  the  sterner  sex,  and  as  indeed 
possessing  great  attractiveness,  and  every  charm 
and  grace.  They  are  all  conversant  with  the  prin- 
cipal languages  of  Europe,  and  generally  speak 
French  like  natives.  They  possess  the  valuable  art 
of  making  their  acquirements  and  accomplishments 
effective.  The  greatest  art,  however,  displayed  by 
the  ladies  of  Russia  is  in  the  infinite  resources  of 
their  conversation ;  beyond  all  question  the  most 
difficult  of  achievements,  inasmuch  as  almost  every 
theme  becomes  dangerous  under  the  suspicious  des- 
potism of  the  czar.  Shall  they  converse  respecting 
science?  It  is  a  very  tedious  subject.  Shall  they 
speak  of  art  ?  It  is  professional  and  commonplace. 
Dare  they  touch  upon  history  or  politics  ?  Beware  ! 
a  yawning  and  perilous  abyss  lies  that  way,  and 
men  and  women  shudder  to  approach  it.  Under 
these  difficult  and  perplexing  circumstances  most 
people  would  sit  down  in  mute  despair,  and  quietly 
say  nothing.  Not  so  do  the  fair  dames  of  Russia. 
Their  conversation  is  represented  as  exhibiting  infi- 
nite tact,  variety,  sprightliness,  and-  wit ;  and  their 
society  is  described  as  being  agreeable  in  the  ex- 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  209 

treme.  Out  of  nothing,  they  adroitly  weave  a  fas- 
cinating tissue  of  discourse,  comprising  a  little,  and 
just  enough,  of  every  thing. 

Gambling  is  a  prevalent  vice  in  Russia ;  and  the 
havoc  made  by  this  reckless  dissipation  in  the  for- 
tunes of  the  improvident  nobles,  is  frequently  terri- 
ble and  astounding.  Their  extravagance  of  living 
is  equally  amazing.  They  frequently  purchase  To- 
kay wine  for  ten  guineas  a  bottle ;  and  give  ten 
thousand  dollars  for  a  Cashmere  shawl,  which  they 
sell,  a  few  weeks  afterward,  for  seven,  or  even  five 
thousand.  The  amounts  spent  by  the  nobles  for 
cambric  shirts,  for  perfumes,  for  essences,  for  jewels, 
furs,  and  ornaments  of  various  kinds,  exceed  belief. 
The  conversation  of  this  class  is  usually  confined 
to  three  pre-eminently  important  subjects — cham- 
pagne, cards,  and  French  actresses. 

If  the  higher  functionaries  of  the  government 
are  mercenary  and  venal  in  the  extreme,  the  same 
may  be  said  of  the  lower  order — the  police.  To 
what  has  already  been  stated  on  this  point,  it  may 
be  well  to  add  several  other  facts,  as  illustrative  of 
the  subject. 

A  Courland  nobleman  lost  some  silverware  from 
his  plate-chest.  Shortly  afterward  he  saw  the  stolen 
goods  openly  exhibited  for  sale  in  a  silversmith's 
snop-window.  The  owner  examined  the  articles 

18* 


210  THE   LIFE   AND   KEIGN 

closely.  They  bore  his  arms,  and  the  initials  of  his 
name.  He  called  in  a  police  officer,  and  stated  the 
facts.  The  silversmith  affirmed  that  he  had  hought 
the  articles  from  another  person,  but  offered  to  re- 
store the  whole  to  the  nobleman  immediately.  Here 
the  policeman  interfered.  He  drew  up  a  formal  state- 
ment, and  requested  the  owner  to  send  to  the  office, 
whither  he  himself  took  the  stolen  articles,  some 
other  article  from  the  chest,  by  which  he  could 
prove  his  claim  to  the  whole.  The  nobleman  did 
so.  He  sent  the  entire  case  to  the  police  office,  and 
never  saw  any  thing  of  any  of  the  articles  after- 
ward ! 

Again :  a  German  physician  in  St.  Petersburg 
desired  to  hire  a  coachman.  One  applied  for  the 
place  just  as  his  droschki  was  at  the  door.  He 
directed  the  man  to  mount,  and  drive  up  and  down 
the  street,  to  know  his  skill.  He  did  so,  and  was 
accepted  by  the  physician.  The  latter  was  then 
called  to  dinner ;  and,  during  this  interval,  the  man 
had  disappeared  with  both  horse  and  droschki. 
The  police  were  applied  to.  After  six  weeks  the 
horse  and  droschki  were  produced;  but  in  so 
wretched  a  state,  and  the  charges  for  their  recovery 
were  so  enormous,  that  the  physician  preferred  to 
leave  his  property  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  of 
public  justice! 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  211 

The  all-pervading  despotism  of  Nicholas  has  even 
affected  the  changes  of  costume  in  his  court.  For 
the  purpose  of  adding  to  the  magnificence  of  his 
court  receptions,  he  decreed  that  the  ladies  of  the 
court  should  wear  a  peculiar  dress,  a  prominent  por- 
tion of  which  was  the  sarafan,  a  wide,  open  robe 
without  sleeves,  under  which  is  worn  a  full  long- 
sleeved  gown.  The  sarafan  is  made  of  velvet,  richly 
embroidered  with  gold,  and  varying  in  the  em- 
broidery according  to  the  rank  of  the  wearer.  To 
this  must  be  added  the  kokoshnik,  a  kind  of  diadem, 
resembling  -a  crescent,  with  the  points  turned  to- 
ward the  back.  This  ornament  is  generally  richly 
set  with  pearls  and  precious  stones,  and  from  the 
back  descends  a  long  and  graceful  veil.  It  gives  to 
each  fair  wearer  the  aspect  and  the  bearing  of  a 
queen. 

The  Russian  court  receptions  under  the  influence 
of  Nicholas  I.  are  represented  as  having  been  splen- 
did in  the  extreme ;  far  superior  to  any  thing  to  be 
seen  elsewhere  in  Europe.  On  entering  the  impe- 
rial palace,  a  blaze  of  magnificence  bursts  upon  the 
view,  which  words  fail  adequately  to  describe.  The 
rich  paintings,  the  exquisite  statuary,  the  innumer- 
able works  of  the  choicest  and  rarest  vertu,  the  bril- 
liant mirrors,  the  painted  columns  and  mosaic  ceil- 
ings, the  superb  uniforms,  the  elegant  and  graceful 


212  THE   LIFE   AND    EEIGN 

costumes,  combined  with  the  easy  and  fascinating 
manners  of  both  men  and  women, — all  constituted 
a  dazzling  and  delightful  vision,  which  is  nowhere 
surpassed,  and  probably  not  equalled,  among  all  the 
courts  of  Europe. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  men,  whose  talents 
and  reputation  added  lustre  to  the  court  of  Mcholas, 
the  most  eminent  was  Nesselrode.  He  has  been  well 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  statesmen  of  Europe  for 
thirty  years.  He  was  born  of  German  parents,  who 
had  become  Russian  subjects;  and  arose  from  ob- 
scurity to  high  distinction  only  by  the  force  of  his 
talents,  and  by  that  pliability  and  adroitness  of  cha- 
racter, which  is  the  most  essential  quality  of  the 
courtier  and  the  diplomatist. 

The  favourite  nobleman  of  Nicholas  was  Count 
Orloff, — he  whose  promptitude  and  energy  were  of 
such  essential  sendee  to  the  czar,  at  the  time  of  the 
insurrection  at  his  accession,  on  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1825.  The  most  remarkable  circumstance  con- 
nected with  this  prince  is,  that  he  is  charged  with 
being  the  imperial  poisoner;  and  with  having  re- 
moved from  the  world  no  less  than  four  persons  at 
the  desire  of  his  stern  master.  These  individuals 
appear  to  have  been  Alexander  I.,  General  Die- 
bitsch,  the  Empress  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Alexander  I., 
and  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine.  How  far  these 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  213 

horrid  charges  may  be  founded  in  truth,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  determine. 

Prince  Mentschikoff  is  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished warriors  and  diplomatists  of  the  Russian 
court.  He  is  a  statesman  and  soldier  of  great  expe- 
rience. It  is  somewhat  singular,  that  as  he  was 
that  representative  of  the  czar,  who  was  employed 
to  convey  to  the  sultan  the  insulting  and  extrava- 
gant demands,  which  occasioned  the  present  war ; 
so  he  was  that  one  of  the  Russian  generals  who 
has  been  most  severely  beaten,  harrassed,  and  hum- 
bled, by  the  continued  and  triumphant  successes  of 
the  Allies. 

Prince  Paskiewitch,  now  very  aged,  infirm,  and 
broken  down  by  a  long  career  of  toil  and  of  glory, 
reposes  upon  his  laurels,  and  takes  no  longer  any 
share  in  the  stirring  events  of  the  times.  It  was  he, 
who  was  so  successful  in  crushing  the  power  of 
Persia  and  Turkey,  in  the  wars  which  Nicholas 
waged  against  those  kingdoms,  in  the  earlier  period 
of  his  reign.  His  military  reputation  is  the  highest 
of  any  possessed  by  the  distinguished  military  men 
of  Russia. 

Prince  Woronzof,  the  governor -general  of 
Southern  Russia,  possesses  the  second  civil  au- 
thority in  the  empire.  He  was  educated  in  part  in 
England,  being  related  to  some  members  of  the 


214  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

English  nobility.  He  is  characterized  by  the  more 
enlightened  views  which  he  entertains  on  the  sub- 
ject of  government;  and  uses  his  great  authority 
for  the  elevation  and  improvement  of  the  vast  terri- 
tory placed  under  his  control.  He  resides  at  Odessa, 
and  the  Crimea  has  flourished  like  a  garden  under 
his  fostering  care.  He  served  with  much  distinction 
in  the  wars  of  1812-14  against  Napoleon  I.  He 
is  an  experienced  soldier  and  statesman,  and  de- 
servedly stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  late 
Czar  Nicholas.* 

*  For  further  particulars  respecting  Prince  Woronzof,   see  Ap- 
pendix, No.  IL 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE  FIRST.  215 


CHAPTER 


THE  PATRONAGE  EXTENDED  BY  NICHOLAS  TO  THE  FINE  ARTS  —  THE 
COURT  THEATRE  —  THE  OPEKA  —  RUBINI  -  GARCIA  —  SONTAG  -  FANNY 
ELSSLER  -  RACHEL  -  MEMBERS  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  -  THE  EM- 
PRESS —  ALEXANDER  II.  —  THE  GRAND  DUKE  CONSTANTINE  —  SPLENDID 
MONUMENT  ERECTED  BY  NICHOLAS  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  ALEXANDER  I. 
—  NICHOLAS  AN  IMITATOR  OF  NAPOLEON  I. 

SCYTHIA,  whether  modern  or  ancient,  has  never 
been  a  congenial  home  for  the  arts.  As  a  race,  the 
Russians  have  never  produced  any  artists  of  emi- 
nence; and  though  the  nobles  appreciate  the  pro- 
ductions of  foreign  artists,  the  works  of  vertu  which 
they  possess,  like  their  French  mistresses,  are  all 
imported  from  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine. 

The  Emperor  Nicholas,  from  his  natural  refine- 
ment of  mind,  and  from  his  foreign  travels,  pos- 
sessed some  appreciation  of  the  arts,  and  of  artists  ; 
and  hence  we  find  that,  ^during  his  reign,  the  most 
eminent  representatives  of  the  arts  were  successively 
invited  to  his  capital,  and  received,  ais  the  reward  of 
their  exertions,  magnificent  and  lavish  presents  from 
the  imperial  family. 

The  court  theatre  of  St.  Petersburg  owes  its  exist- 


216  THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

| 

ence  to  the  munificent  gallantry  of  the  Emperor 
Nicholas.  It  was  built  by  his  express  orders,  as  a 
birthday  surprise  for  the  Archduchess  Helena,  wife 
of  the  Grand  Duke  Michael,  and  was  presented  to 
her,  on  the  anniversary  of  her  birth,  by  the  czar. 
It  is  termed  the  Michael's  Theatre  in  honour  of  her 
husband.  During  the  progress  of  its  erection,  no 
one  suspected  that  it  was  to  be  a  theatre ;  inasmuch 
as  its  exterior  differs  in  no  respect  from  that  of  the 
elegant  buildings  adjacent  to  it.  Though  not  the 
largest,  it  is  the  most  splendid  theatre  in  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  appearance  which  it  presents,  when  filled 
by  the  court  circle,  is  said  to  be  magnificent  in  the 
extreme.  •  All  its  performances  are  in  the  French 
language,  and  the  company  is  constantly  renewed 
by  new  recruits  from  Paris.  Nicholas  was  a  con- 
stant visitor  at  this  theatre. 

There  is  also  a  theatre  in  the  capital — the  Alex- 
ander, in  which  plays  are  performed  in  the  Russian 
language,  which  Nicholas  occasionally  visited.  In 
the  Stone  Theatre,  a  building  of  colossal  dimensions, 
German  and  Russian  operas  are  performed.  There 
is  such  a  thing  as  a  Russian  opera  in  existence, 
although  its  fame  has  never  yet  travelled  beyond 
the  marshes  of  the  Neva. 

Nicholas  on  many  occasions  exhibited  his  appre- 
ciation of  genuine  art,  by  the  patronage  which  he 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  217 

• 

extended  to  its  most  distinguished  representatives 
and  interpreters,  whom  he  invited  to  his  capital.  In 
1844,  by  an  express  message  from  the  czar,  Rubini, 
though  then  possessing  but  the  tradition  of  his  voice, 
visited  St.  Petersburg,  and  was  received  and  re- 
warded by  the  czar,  with  munificence.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  celebrated  Garcia,  at  whose  bene- 
fit, such  a  flood  of  flowers  fell  around  her  on  the 
stage,  one  bouquet  of  which,  richly  jewelled,  came 
from  the  imperial  box,  that  they  had  to  be  carried 
from  the  stage  in  large  clothes-baskets.  This  was 
in  February,  at  a  period  of  the  year,  when  a  single 
rose  costs  twenty  rubles  at  St.  Petersburg.  A  for- 
tune may  literally  be  said  to  have  been  thrown,  on 
that  occasion,  at  the  fair  feet  of  the  illustrious  artist. 

Nicholas  ordained,  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
dramatic  art,  that  an  actor  or  actress  who  had  served 
twenty  years  in  the  theatres  of  the  capital,  should  be 
entitled  to  a  pension  for  the  remainder  of  his  or  her 
life.  This  pension  amounts  to  4000  rubles  per  annum. 

For  artists  of  distinguished  merit  and  personal  re- 
spectability, Nicholas  entertained  very  high  esteem ; 
and  his  conduct  toward  them  was  marked  by  the 
greatest  liberality.  Thus  when  Madame  Sontag, 
the  illustrious  German  songstress,  was  residing  at 
his  court  in  her  quality  as  ambassadress,  and  wife 
of  the  Sardinian  representative,  Count  Rossi,  she 

19 


218  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

took  occasion  to  express  to  the  czar  her  wish,  that 
her  former  instructress  and  friend,  Madame  Czecca, 
might  be  invited  to  some  comfortable  position  in  the 
Russian  capital.  ;  The  emperor  immediately  sent 
General  Gedeonoff  to  Vienna,  with  orders  to  con- 
duct the  lady  to  St.  Petersburg.  There  she  was 
installed  in  the  singing  department  as  chief,  with  a 
salary  of  4000  rubles.  But  this  was  the  least  valua- 
ble portion  of  her  appointment.  Madam  Czecca 
was  requested  to  give  lessons  in  music  to  the  Grand 
Duchesses  Olga  and  Alexandra,  and  to  the  daughter 
of  the  Grand  Duke  Michael.  The  consequence  was 
that  it  became  the  fashion  for  the  highest  families, 
to  patronize  the  instructress  of  the  fair  Sontag ;  and 
her  importance  and  pecuniary  profits  became  pro- 
digious, not  less  than  20,000  rubles  per  annum.  At 
Leipsic  she  had  toiled  for  five  hundred  thalers  per 
year,  but  a  short  time  previously.  Her  single  les- 
sons at  St.  Petersburg  commanded  twenty  rubles, 
per  lesson,  if  she  went  abroad.  On  one  occasion, 
having  appointed  to  give  a  lesson  at  the  house  of 
the  Countess  ScheremitofF,  she  arrived  a  short  time 
after  the  appropriate  hour.  She  apologized  by  saying, 
that  she  was  compelled  to  wait  for  a  hackney-coach. 
Upon  the  day  fixed  for  the  next  lesson,  an  elegant 
carriage  awaited  her;  and  on  her  returning  home  in 
it,  the  coachman  begged  to  know,  where  he  should 


OF  NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  219 

put  it  up?  Two  lines  from  the  liberal  countess 
begged  her  musical  friend  to  accept  of  it,  as  a 
trifling  present  from  herself. 

During  the  residence  of  the  Countess  de  Rossi  at 
the  court  of  St.  Petersburg,  Nicholas  displayed  his 
appreciation  of  her  exalted  merits  as  an  artist,  by 
uniting  in  the  general  and  urgent  request  of  the 
court,  that  she  should  throw  aside  the  trammels  of 
her  official  and  diplomatic  rank,  and  sing  before  a 
select  audience  composed  of  the  highest  aristocracy 
of  the  capital.  She  did  so,  to  the  intensest  gratifica- 
tion and  delight  of  her  distinguished  audience. 

When  the  celebrated  pianist  Liszt  visited  St. 
Petersburg,  the  emperor  attended  all  the  twelve 
concerts  which  he  gave  in  that  city.  The  whole 
court,  the  highest  nobility,  and  all  the  distinguished 
men  of  the  capital,  following  the  example  of  the 
sovereign,  crowded  his  concert-room;  and  the  re- 
ceipts for  a  single  night  amounted  to  20,000  rubles. 
He  received  many  pieces  of  jewelry  from  the  em- 
peror, as  testimonials  of  his  admiration  of  the  artist. 

The  great  representatives  of  all  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  arts,  have  received  patronage,  equally 
partial  and  profitable,  from  the  czar.  "When  the 
great  queen  of  the  Terpsichorean  art,  Fanny  Elssler, 
appeared  in  St.  Petersburg,  she  was  treated  with 
marked  consideration  by  the  czar,  who  fully  appre- 


220  THE   LIFE   AND   IIEIGN 

elated  the  extraordinary  skill,  and  unequalled  grace, 
which  characterized  her  performances,  especially  at  a 
period  when  she  was  in  the  meridian  of  her  powers. 
Nicholas  has  also  honoured  tragedy,  in  the  person 
of  its  most  illustrious  representative,  Mademoiselle 
Eachel.  The  first  occasion  on  which  he  beheld 
the  performance  of  this  great  artist,  was  while  on  a 
visit  with  the  empress  to  Berlin.  Mile.  Eachel  was 
requested  to  perform  before  the  imperial  and  royal 
families  at  the  lie  des  paons.  The  soft  green  turf 
formed  the  only  stage,  in  this  beautiful  and  retired 
spot,  which  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  palaces  of 
Potsdam.  The  audience  were  placed  on  a  few  ele- 
gant fauteuils  arranged  in  front  of  the  actress.  At 
length  the  emperor  advances,  and  familiarly  address- 
ing the  great  actress,  compliments  her  on  her  fame 
and  her  abilities;  and  placing  his  chair  nearer  to 
her,  said,  "  I  have  requested  this  performance  here, 
in  order  that  I  might  have  a  nearer  view  of  you, 
than  on  the  stage."  She  performed  the  part  of  Vir- 
ginie ;  and  so  charmed  was  Nicholas  then  with  her 
performance,  that  he  extended  to  Rachel  an  invita- 
tion to  visit  St.  Petersburg.  On  the  following  day, 
Count  Orloff  brought  from  him  a  magnificent  brooch, 
valued  at  thirty  thousand  francs,  as  a  gift  to  the 
tragedienne,  and  as  a  token  of  his  admiration  of 
her  abilities. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIHPT.  221 

In  November,  1852,  in  accordance  with  the  invi- 
tation of  Nicholas,  M'Ue  Rachel  visited  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  czar  did  not  disappoint  the  expecta- 
tions which  he  had  led  the  artist  to  entertain.  She 
gave  twenty  representations  in  the  Russian  capital, 
most  of  which  were  attended  by  the  imperial  family 
and  by  the  court.  The  receipts  for  these  twenty 
performances  are  said  to  have  been  over  200,000 
francs.  On  the  evening  of  the  Russian  fete  of  St. 
Catherine,  she  was  invited  to  perform  at  the  palace 
of  the  Grand  Duchess  Helena,  at  which  the  whole 
of  the  imperial  family  were  present.  Afterward,  at 
the  special  request  of  Nicholas,  she  performed  in 
the  Winter  Palace,  at  a  soirte,  at  which  the  entire 
court  attended. 

It  is  indeed  in  connection  with  his  patronage 
of  art,  and  his  attachment  to  his  family,  that  the 
most  pleasing  and  attractive  qualities  of  the  Czar 
Nicholas  appear.  In  these  displays  he  seems  no 
longer  the  terrible  despot,  the  unsympathizing  mag- 
nate of  a  vast  empire  ;  he  then  stands  forth  with 
an  agreeable  visage,  as  a  man,  susceptible  of  human 
feelings  and  attachments. 

The  members  of  the  family  of  Nicholas  were,  in 
general,  princes  and  princesses  of  merit.  The  em- 
press, his  wife,  was  a  daughter  of  the  beautiful  but 
afflicted  Queen  Louisa  of  Prussia,  whose  gentle  spirit 

19* 


THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

was  broken  and  outraged  by  the  brutality  of  Napo- 
leon, when  the  battle  of  Jena  placed  the  sovereignty 
of  the  house  of  Brandenburg  beneath  his  iron  foot. 
The  Russian  empress  was  handsome  in  form  and  fea- 
ture, though  somewhat  cold  and  reserved  in  her  man- 
ners. She  was  tall  and  slender  in  person ;  but  for 
many  years  suffered  under  a  nervous  disease.  The 
czar  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest  son 
is  Alexander  II.,  the  present  Czar  of  all  the  Eussias. 
He  is  represented  as  being  a  person  of  amiable 
temper  and  pleasing  address ;  but  he  has  been  de- 
scribed, whether  truly  or  not  is  uncertain,  as  being 
weak-minded,  and  even  partially  deranged.  It  may 
be  the  fact,  that  the  vast  anxieties  and  cares  which 
he  has  inherited  with  his  throne,  in  the  conduct 
of  the  disastrous  war  in  the  East,  may  have  proved 
too  much  for  a  mind  of  ordinary,  or  perhaps  of  in- 
ferior, calibre.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  his  bro- 
ther, the  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  is  a  person  of 
very  different  temper  and  disposition.  He  is  next 
in  the  succession  after  the  present  czar,  should  the 
latter  die  without  issue.  He  resembles  his  uncle, 
the  late  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  in  the  stern  qua- 
lities and  warlike  nature  of  his  disposition.  Once 
the  present  czar,  Alexander,  remarked  in  his  hear- 
ing, that  "the  charge  of  ruling  a  nation  was  a  very 
burdensome  one."  Constantine  immediately  re- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  223 

plied  with  energy,  "If  you  have  nothing  else  to 
trouble  you,  speak  the  word,  brother,  and  I  will  re- 
lieve you  of  that  charge."  It  is  certain  that  if  Con- 
stantine  ever  succeeds  to  the  throne  of  the  Czars, 
he  will  reign  with  a  rod  of  iron  over  the  millions 
who  will  have  become  subject  to  his  power. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  attachment  borne  by  Ni- 
cholas to  the  memory  of  his  brother,  Alexander  L, 
we  may  refer  to  the  magnificent  column  erected  by 
him  in  honour  of  the  latter  in  St.  Petersburg. 

This  immense  shaft  is  the  largest  in  the  world. 
It  was  elevated  on  its  pedestal  on  St.  Alexander 
Newsky's  day,  October  30,  1832,  in  the  presence  of 
the  imperial  family,  the  nobility,  the  citizens,  and  a 
vast  concourse  of  strangers.  It  was  placed  in  the 
large  square  in  front  of  the  Winter  Palace  of  the 
emperor.  This  superb  monument  is  of  red  granite, 
the  pedestal  of  which  i's  forty  feet  high.  The  shaft, 
which  consists  of  a  single  piece,  is  eighty-five  feet 
in  length,  and  twelve  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top. 
The  column  supports  a  colossal  bronze  statue,  repre- 
senting an  angel  holding  a  cross.  The  statue,  in- 
cluding its  pedestal  and  -the  capital  of  the  column, 
is  thirty-five  feet  high.  The  height  of  the  whole 
monument,  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  statue, 
is  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The  stone  for  this 
stupendous  monument  was  brought  from  Finland, 


224  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

and  transported  to  St.  Petersburg  in  a  ship  built  for 
that  express  purpose.  The  inclined  plane  on  which 
the  shaft  was  rolled  from  the  Neva  to  its  present 
site,  contained  a  forest  of  wood,  which  alone  cost 
$200,000.  The  column  was  raised  to  its  position  on 
its  pedestal  by  means  of  sixty  capstans,  manned  by 
twenty-five  hundred  of  the  veteran  soldiers  of  Alex- 
ander L,  who  had  served  under  him  in  his  most 
glorious  campaigns.  Each  of  these  veterans  was 
decorated  with  a  badge  of  honour.  The  difficult 
task  of  its  elevation  was  accomplished  by  the  en- 
gineers of  Nicholas  without  the  slightest  accident, 
in  the  presence  of  an  immense  multitude,  who  pre- 
served the  silence  of  the  grave  while  the  shaft  was 
ascending  to  its  resting-place ;  but  whose  acclama- 
tions seemed  to  shake  the  earth,  and  rend  the  sky, 
after  the  work  had  been  completed. 

It  was  a  peculiar  and  undisputed  characteristic 
of  Nicholas,  that  he  entertained  intense  admiration 
for  Napoleon  I.,  and  was,  in  fact,  a  servile  imitator 
of  that  great  man,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  for  him 
to  be  so. 

The  reader  will  have  observed,  that  from  the 
commencement  of  his  reign,  in  all  his  wars,  Nicho- 
las had  been  victorious;  that  in  every  conspiracy 
he  had  been  triumphant  over  his  enemies ;  that  by 
diplomacy,  as  well  as  by  conquest,  he  had  uniformly 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  225 

obtained  all  that  his  politic  ambition  had  induced 
him  to  demand.  During  his  first  war  with  Turkey, 
he  had  lost  200,000  men  by  famine  and  disease,  and 
by  the  incapacity  of  General  Diebitsch ;  and  yet  he 
had  concluded  the  treaty  of  Adrianople,  by  which 
he  had  obtained  the  most  humiliating  and  disas- 
trous concessions  from  the  sultan.  It  was  not  very 
singular,  therefore,  that  Nicholas  should  imagine 
himself  to  have  been  a  great  hero;  and  that  his 
uniform  successes  should  have  induced  him  to  in- 
dulge the  belief  that  these,  coupled  with  his  vast 
inherited  power,  rendered  him,  in  some  measure, 
the  equal  of  the  ambitious  and  successful  Corsican. 
The  power  wielded  by  Nicholas  I.  was  certainly  not 
much  inferior  to  that  acquired  by  Napoleon ;  but  in 
the  qualities  of  his  mind,  though  he  was  by  no 
means  an  ordinary  man,  the  Russian  potentate  falls 
far  below  that  most  gifted  and  extraordinary  per- 
sonage, either  of  ancient  or  modern  times. 


226  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  TWO  GREAT  MERITS  IN  THE  CHARACTER  OF  NICHOLAS  I. — INCI- 
DENTS ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THEM THE  RUSSIAN  CODE  OF  LAWS CON- 
SPIRACY AGAINST  THE  LIFE  OF  NICHOLAS BENEVOLENCE  ^OF  THE 

CZAR HIS    INTREPID    CONDUCT     DURING     THE     PREVALENCE    OF    THE 

CHOLERA — HIS    DESPOTIC    CONDUCT   AS    A    SOVEREIGN. 

THE  chief  administrative  merits  which  the  ad- 
vocates of  Mcholas  can  claim  in  his  behalf  are 
two.  The  first  of  these  is  that  he  has  attempted, 
in  many  instances,  to  punish  and  suppress  the 
disgraceful  venality,  dishonesty,  and  corruption, 
which  so  universally  and  shamefully  prevail  among 
the  oflicials  of  the  government  throughout  the 
whole  empire. 

Thus,  on  one  occasion,  he  resolved  to  examine 
thoroughly  into  the  extent  of  this  evil;  and  ap- 
pointed two  intelligent  persons  belonging  to  his 
staff  of  secretaries — Germans  from  Courland,  in 
whose  integrity  he  seemed  to  have  confidence — to 
investigate  every  branch  of  the  public  service ; 
boldly  to  sound  the  hidden  depths  of  this  foul  ocean 
of  corruption,  and  to  reveal  them  to  him.  The 
task  was  begun.  It  was  a  difficult  one,  and  thou- 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  227 

sands  of  impediments  were  thrown  in  the  way  of 
the  commission.  But  they  persevered,  until  they 
accomplished  the  work,  as  far  as  it  could  possibly 
be  done.  The  spectacle  then  exhibited  to  the 
gaze  of  the  czar  was  indeed  a  horrible  one.  In- 
stances of  bribery,  shuffling,  and  dishonesty,  were 
pointed  out  to  him,  even  among  his  highest  offi- 
cials. Names  were  freely  given ;  proofs  were  offered 
• 

in  abundance. 

Yet  the  punishment  of  so  many,  and  of  such 
high  personages,  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. The  vengeance  of  the  czar  would  have  fallen 
upon  the  noblest  and  most  exalted  heads  in  the  em- 
pire. He  knew  not  what  to  do.  To  live  in  the 
midst  of  such  conscious  corruption  was  horrible; 
yet  to  remove  it  was  impossible.  In  despair,  the 
czar  threw  the  report  of  the  commission  into  the 
fire. 

The  same  evening,  burdened  by  his  gloomy  re- 
flections, he  went  to  the  house  of  his  favourite  mi- 
nister, Count  Nesselrode.  He  exhibited,  in  his 
gloomy  air,  evidence  that  something  disagreeable 
operated  upon  his  spirits.  The  keen  courtier  soon 
discovered  the  state  of  the  czar's  mind;  and  he 
took  the  liberty  of  inquiring  what  was  the  cause  of 
his  sadness.  In  reply,  Nicholas  briefly  narrated  the 
results  of  the  investigation  of  the  commission,  and 


228  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

then  exclaimed,  with  indignation,  "Everybody 
robs  throughout  the  empire !  Every  one  around 
me  robs !  In  whatever  direction  I  turn  my  eyes,  I 
see  nothing  but  pilferers  and  robbers !  There  is 
only  one  person,  a  single  person,  who  can  walk 
proudly  erect  in  conscious  innocence.  Of  this  per- 
son, at  least,  I  am  sure." 

Count  Nesselrode  of  course  imagined  that  the 
czar  referred  to  himself,  and,  at  once  appropriating 
the  compliment,  bowed  himself  almost  to  the  earth, 
and  was  preparing  to  thank  the  czar  for  so  great 
evidence  of  his  consideration,  when  the  latter  re- 
sumed, striking  his  breast  at  the  same  moment, 
"Don't  trouble  yourself;  that  person  who  does  not 
rob  is  myself!  I  am  the  only  person  throughout  my 
whole  empire,  who  does  not  steal!" 

The  other  favourable  feature  in  the  administra- 
tion of  Nicholas,  was  his  exertions,  on  several  occa- 
sions, to  benefit  the  condition  of  the  serfs,  through- 
out his  empire. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  Russian  code,  the  con- 
dition of  the  serfs  is  a  very  degraded  one ;  and  the 
reality  fully  carries  out  the  theory  of  the  law.  By 
Article  964  of  that  code,  it  is  enacted,  that  "  a 
nobleman  has  the  right  of  imposing  on  his  serfs  all 
kinds  of  work,  and  pecuniary,  personal,  and  other 
fines.  He  has  the  right  of  making  his  serf  change 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  229 

his  condition  as  a  servant  for  that  of  an  agricultural 
labourer,  or  that  of  an  agricultural  labourer  for  that 
of  a  servant,  or  of  putting  him  out  to  service  at  a 
stranger's." 

Article  965  enacts,  that  "the  master  determines 
all  differences  without  appeal.  To  keep  his  slaves 
in  a  state  of  the  most  passive  obedience,  he  has  the 
right  of  employing  all  means  of  correction,  and 
whatever  unusual  punishments  he  may  deem  neces- 
sary. He  can  even  send  them  to  Siberia,  accom- 
panied by  their  wives  and  children,  under  six  years 
for  the  males,  and  ten  years  for  the  females.  He 
has  the  right  of  transporting  the  whole  or  part  of 
his  slaves  from  one  estate  to  another ;  that  is  to  say, 
from  north  to  south,  from  east  to  west,  and  vice 
versa.  For  this  removal,  the  boyards  must  pay  the 
crown  for  a  permit." 

Article  950  reads  thus :  "If  a  serf,  contrary  to  the 
obedience  which  he  owes  his  master,  takes  the 
liberty  of  preferring  against  the  latter  an  unau- 
thorized complaint,  and  especially  if  he  dares  to 
make  it  to  the  emperor  himself,  he  shall,  as  suppli- 
cant and  author  of  the  complaint,  be  punished  with 
the  utmost  rigour  of  the  laws." 

Such  are  some  of  the  enormities,  protected  by 
law,  which  exist  in  Russia,  against  the  rights  of 

forty  millions  of  human  beings.     In  1839,  great  ex- 

20 


THE   LIFE  AND   REIGN 

citement  was  caused  throughout  the  empire,  by  the 
report  that  Nicholas  had  determined  to  enfranchise 
the  serfs.  The  nohles,  whose  entire  wealth,  in  many 
instances,  consisted  in  their  slaves,  were  thrown 
into  the  greatest  consternation ;  and  the  threatened 
poverty  and  ruin  which  seemed  to  overhang  the 
higher  orders  of  the  nation,  were  about  to  cause  the 
outbreak  of  a  formidable  revolution  against  the  life 
of  the  czar ;  when  suddenly  a  ukase  appeared. 

It  contained  a  clause  which  decreed,  that  here- 
after every  farming  lease  or  other  contract  which  was 
made  and  executed  between  a  noble  and  his  serf, 
should  be  binding  on  the  noble,  as  well  as  on  the 
serf. 

This  was  granting  something  of  importance  ;  for, 
previous  to  this  decree,  the  serf  possessed  no  right 
whatever,  to  contract  in  any  way,  either  with  his 
master,  or  with  any  one  else.  But  it  is  said,  that 
after  all,  this  provision  did  not  amount  to  a  great 
deal ;  because  the  ukase  did  not  provide  any  means 
whereby  to  enforce  the  execution  of  contracts,  on 
the  part  of  the  nobles.  Accordingly,  the  serfs  soon 
came  to  regard  the  ukase  as  a  dead  letter ;  and  re- 
fused to  entef  into  contracts  with  their  owners,  as 
long  as  there  was  no  certainty  or  security  of  their 
execution.  The  ukase,  at  its  first  publication,  was 
regarded  as  a  matter  of  vast  moment.  Afterward  it 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  231 

was  treated  as  a  nullity-,  by  both  the  parties  whose 
interests  it  affected.  In  fact  the  mountain  had 
laboured,  but  it  had  brought  forth  a  mouse ! 

The  spirit  of  discontent  among  the  nobles  and 
aristocracy  of  the  empire,  which  the  action  of  Ni- 
cholas respecting  the  serfs,  had  generated,  was  not 
allayed;  but  from  the  year  1839,  that  spirit  con- 
tinued secretly  and  cautiously  to  grow,  and  was 
only  prevented  from  immediately  bursting  forth,  by 
the  great  dread  which  the  well-known  intrepidity, 
and  the  terrible  vindictiveness,  of  the  czar  conti- 
nually inspired. 

The  conspirators  carried  on  their  designs  in  the 
greatest  secresy.  On  one  occasion  the  leaders  as- 
sembled at  Baden-Baden,  in  Germany ;  and  there, 
under  the  pretence  of  improving  their  health,  they 
held  frequent  meetings.  This  conspiracy  comprised 
among  its  members,  high  officers  of  state,  generals  of 
distinction  in  the  army,  senators,  and  men  of  letters. 
They  gave  the  czar  a  nickname, — and  not  the  most 
complimentary  one, — in  order  that  they  might  speak 
in  reference  to  him  with  less  danger.  In  1840,  the 
feeling  of  jealousy  among  the  ancient  aristocracy  or 
higher  Russian  nobility  grew  so  strong,  that  the 
death  of  the  czar  had  then  been  resolved  upon. 
But  still,  the  conspirators  were  not  sufficiently  des- 
perate or  resolute,  at  that  time,  to  execute  the 


232  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

bloody  and  fearful  deed.  Their  plan  was,  however, 
that  when  Nicholas  was  assassinated,  they  would 
compel  Alexander  II.,  his  successor  and  son,  to 
sign  an  act  of  indemnity,  and  to  grant  a  constitu- 
tion to  his  subjects,  by  which  the  colossal  power  of 
the  czar  might  be  curbed  and  diminished.  From 
the  year  1839  to  1848,  Nicholas,  who  was  fully 
aware  of  this  state  of  feeling  among  the  nobles,  fre- 
quently and  defiantly  threw  down  the  gauntlet  to 
them,  and  treated  them  with  the  greatest  disdain 
and  contempt.  He  seemed  to  wish  to  make  them 
more  desperate,  and  to  drive  them  to  extremities. 
He  wounded  their  pride,  by  opening  the  university 
and  the  public  schools,  and  the  branches  of  the  ad- 
ministration, to  all  suitable  persons,  whether  they 
were  noblemen,  or  tradesmen,  or  emancipated  serfs. 
During  nine  years,  he  may  be  said  to  have  lived  in 
continual  danger.  People  who  knew  the  real  facts, 
expected  every  day  to  hear  of  the  violent  death  of 
the  czar.  Two  hostile  parties  stood  facing  each 
other;  and  the  moment  of  the  outbreak  was  un- 
known. These  were  the  feudal  nobility,  jealous  of 
the  great  power  of  the  Romanoffs,  who  had  been 
elected  originally  from  among  themselves,  to  the 
dignity  of  the  czarship,  and  who  were  therefore,  in 
one  sense,  only  primi  inter  pares.  The  other  party 
was  the  vast  and  powerful  order  of  the  Tchinn,  or 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  233 

the  official  dignitaries  throughout  the  empire,  both 
in  the  army,  the  navy,  the  church,  and  in  the  civil 
government.  At  the  top  of  this  vast  and  towering 
pyramid,  Nicholas  himself  stood,  having  the  sole 
appointing  power,  and  every  member  of  it  being 
his  own  creature.  Many  of  the  principal  foreigners 
at  St.  Petersburg,  during  this  interval,  had  so  posi- 
tively expected  the  outbreak  of  the  revolution,  that 
they  had  taken  measures  of  escaping  into  Finland. 
They  introduced  the  use  of  decked  boats  on  the 
Neva,  and  of  boating  clubs ;  so  that  under  the  pre- 
tence of  learning  how  to  manage  their  craft,  they 
had  opportunities  of  becoming  familiar  with  the 
navigation  about  Oonstadt,  and  the  islands  which 
lie  near  the  coast  of  Finland,  in  order  that  they 
might  on  some  sudden  and  terrible  emergency, 
reach  that  country  in  safety. 

Accordingly,  two  opposite  sentiments  existed 
throughout  the  empire,  in  reference  to  Nicholas. 
The  serfs  and  the  lower  orders  esteemed  him  as 
their  friend,  as  far  as  the  nature  of  existing  circum- 
stances would  permit.  The  nobility  regarded  him 
with  dislike,  although  they  carefully  concealed 
their  feelings.  But  they  looked  upon  him  as  one 
of  themselves,  who  had  been  elevated  merely  by 
accident  above  them,  and  invested  with  a  pro- 
digious degree  of  power,  which  made  him  the  abso- 

20* 


THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

lute  master  of  their  lives  and  fortunes ;  and  which 
power  he  exercised  with  insulting  hauteur  and  se- 
verity. 

At  length,  in  1848,  two  causes  succeeded  in  sup- 
pressing the  spirit  of  revolt  against  the  life  and 
throne  of  Nicholas,  which,  for  nine  years,  had 
lurked  throughout  the  empire.  These  were  first, 
the  intrepid  character  of  the  czar,  and  his  military 
success  in  Persia,  Turkey,  Poland,  and  Hungary; 
the  second,  was  the  outbreak  of  the  socialistic  re- 
volutions in  "Western  Europe,  in  that  year.  The 
nobles  of  Russia  thought  that,  if  such  results  fol- 
lowed the  spirit  of  reform  and  revolution,  as  it 
at  that  time  existed  and  operated  throughout  Eu- 
rope, their  effect  in  Russia  would  be  as  disastrous 
to  the  interests  of  the  aristocracy,  as  it  would  be  to 
the  monarchy;  and  they  permitted  their  schemes 
gradually  to  die  out.  "What  the  consequences  of  a 
revolution  against  Nicholas  would  have  been,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  he  would  have  presented  a  vastly  more  for- 
midable resistance  to  the  agents  of  revolt  than 
any  of  his  imbecile  ancestors  had  ever  done ;  and 
that,  after  a  most  terrible  and  desperate  struggle, 
he  would  have  resigned  his  throne  and  empire  only 
with  his  life. 

There  were  some  traits  of  paternal  benevolence 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  236 

in  the  conduct  of  Nicholas,  which  it  would  be 
unjust  to  his  memory  to  suppress.  On  one  occa- 
sion, a  young  officer,  of  high  and  illustrious  fa- 
mily, lost  all  his  patrimony  by  gambling.  He  had 
even  lost  the  money  belonging  to  his  regiment, 
which  he  had  in  his  custody.  Four  alternatives 
alone  remained  upon  this  consummation  of  his 
ruin.  These  were  either  suicide,  degradation  from 
his  rank,  Siberia,  or  recourse  to  the  emperor.  He 
resolved  upon  the  last.  He  went  to  the  palace,  and 
confided  his  situation  and  request  to  an  aide-de- 
camp of  Nicholas,  who  conveyed  them  to  the  czar. 
As  soon  as  the  latter  heard  the  facts  he  exclaimed, 
"Enough!  enough!  do  not  pronounce  his  name, 
for  if  I  knew  it  I  ought  to  punish  him."  Then 
opening  a  drawer  in  his  bureau,  he  took  out  30,000 
rubles,  and  handed  them  to  his  aide-de-camp,  say- 
ing, "  There,  give  him  that,  and  never  let  the  mat- 
ter be  mentioned  to  me  again." 

A  singular  circumstance  is  also  related  in  refer- 
ence to  Nicholas,  which  would  seem  to  imply  that 
he  was  a  blind  believer  in  destiny  or  in  fate.  Every 
morning  all  the  letters  which  had  arrived  in  the 
post  were  brought  to  his  cabinet.  They  were  then 
opened  and  examined  in  his  presence  by  his  secre- 
taries; he  never  touched  one  of  them  himself. 
Many  of  the  letters,  whose  contents  were  deemed 


THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

trivial,  were  thrown  aside  by  these  functionaries; 
the  more  important  ones  alone  were  submitted  to 
the  attention  of  the  czar. 

One  day,  while  thus  engaged,  the  czar  rose  to 
look  for  a  private  paper  lying  in  his  bureau.  He 
could  not,  for  some  minutes,  find  it,  and  became 
quite  impatient.  During  all  this  interval,  to  each 
of  the  letters  read  by  his  secretary,  he  answered — 
Refused.  At  length,  having  found  the  paper  for 
which  he  was  searching,  he  answered  to  every  one 
of  the  letters  which  followed — Granted. 

When  the  task  was  concluded  the  secretary 
said,  "Will  your  majesty  permit  me  to  make  an 
observation?"  "Certainly;  what  is  it?"  "Just 
now  your  majesty  was  looking  for  a  paper,  and 
while  so  doing  you  refused  some  dozen  petitions 
"Will  your  majesty  permit  me  to  read  them 
again?"  "No:  I  refused  to  grant  them; — it  was 
the  will  of  God.  It  was  fated  so  to  happen.  I 
have  no  doubt  I  decided  them  rightly ;  and  I  main- 
tain what  I  have  done !" 

During  1848,  when  the  cholera  again  visited  St. 
Petersburg,  Nicholas  displayed  the  utmost  intre- 
pidity. Two  or  three  thousand  victims  fell  every 
day  beneath  the  power  of  the  scourge.  The  em- 
peror did  not  fly,  although  in  four  days,  applications 
were  made  for  eighty  thousand  passports.  The  city 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   Ij'IHST.  237 

became  deserted.  Out  of  450,000  inhabitants  100,000 
alone  remained.  The  streets  were  strewed  with 
corpses,  and  encumbered  with  dying  persons. 
Nicholas  traversed  the  city  on  foot,  accompanied 
by  one  aide-de-camp ;  visited  the  hospitals  and  the 
barracks,  and  displayed  the  utmost  intrepidity  in 
assisting  his  afflicted  subjects. 

But  notwitstanding  these  favourable  traits,  on 
the  subject  of  political  freedom  he  was  an  un- 
mitigated tyrant.  The  following  incident  will 
add  another  to  the  innumerable  proofs  already  in 
existence  in  support  of  this  assertion. 

By  his  orders,  the  letters  of  all  foreigners,  re- 
siding in  Russia,  were  invariably  opened  by  the 
police,  and  their  contents  were  reported  to  him,  if 
important.  Some  years  since,  a  French  officer 
of  distinction  visited  St.  Petersburg.  He  had 
been  in  the  capital  about  two  weeks,  going 
everywhere  and  seeing  every  thing,  when,  one 
morning,  a  police  officer  suddenly  entered  his 
apartment,  and  asked  if  he  had  the  honour  of 
addressing  Monsieur  V.  ?  Being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  the  officer  continued :  "  The  Emperor 
of  Russia,  having  learned  indirectly  that  you 
carry  on  an  active  correspondence  with  your  re- 
lations in  Paris,  in  which  you  express,  rather 
freely,  your  unfavourable  opinion  of  affairs  in 


238  THE    LIFE    AND   KEIGN 

Russia,  charges  me  to  inform  you,  that  as  your 
letters  might  be  lost  upon  the  road,  he  thinks  it 
more  prudent  for  you  to  take  them  yourself. 
Here  are  your  letters;  a  carriage  and  horses 
await  you  at  the  door.  In  two  hours  you  will 
have  your  trunks  packed,  and  we  will  set  out." 

The  Frenchman,  perceiving  the  ironical  tone  of 
the  officer,  instantly,  and  with  great  presence  of 
mind,  imitated  it,  and  said,  "His  majesty  only 
anticipates  my  own  wishes.  I  was  on  the  point 
of  leaving  his  dominions ;  my  only  regret  will  be, 
that  I  shall  leave  without  having  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  the  czar."  "For  that  matter,"  continued 
the  officer,  "  while  we  are  preparing  your  trunks,  I 
will  send  to  learn  his  majesty's  orders."  He  in- 
stantly wrote  a  note  to  the  palace,  and  sent  it  by  a 
Cossack  in  attendance.  In  half  an  hour  the  Cos- 
sack returned.  The  czar  had  written  two  lines  at 
the  bottom  of  the  note :  "  Granted ;  to-morrow  at 
ten,  in  the  Michael  Riding  School."  On  the  mor- 
row, the  police  officer  returned  with  a  carriage ;  the 
baggage  was  stowed  away,  and  the  Frenchman  and 
officer  entered.  The  carriage  was  driven  to  the 
riding-school.  There  the  Frenchman  saw  the  czar 
inspecting  a  regiment  of  infantry.  The  review 
being  ended,  the  former  was  rapidly  driven  from 
the  capital  to  the  frontier;  and  there  deposited  in 


OF  NICHOLAS    TITE   FTRFT.  230 

9 

the  middle  of  the  road,  together  with  his  baggage, 
at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the  coldest  wea- 
ther of  winter.  The  police  officer  then  said,  that  his 
Russian  majesty  had  only  undertaken  the  responsi- 
bility of  conveying  Mons.  V.  to  the  frontiers  of  his 
own  dominions ;  the  King  of  Prussia  must  now  see 
that  Mons.  V.  was  conveyed  farther  toward  Paris ! 
The  Russian  officer  immediately  drove  off,  and  re- 
turned to  St.  Petersburg,  leaving  the  Frenchman 
in  his  disagreeable  position.  The  latter  might,  in 
truth,  have  vehemently  congratulated  himself,  that 
he  had  escaped  with  so  lenient  a  punishment,  for 
the  rash  utterance  of  his  republican  sentiments,  in 
the  dominions  of  the  despotic  czar. 


240  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE     PECULIAR      TALENT     POSSESSED     BY    NICHOLAS HIS     FAVOURITE 

MINISTERS COUNT        KLEINMICHEL COUNT        KAKOSHKINE THE 

THIEVISH   NOBLEMAN PRINCE    TCHERNICHEF HATRED    OF    NICHO- 
LAS    TO    LOUIS     PHILIPPE THE     IMPERIAL     NURSERY THE     DUKE 

OF   LEUCHTENSTEIN CONDUCT    OF    NICHOLAS    TOWARD    THE     CITY   OF 

ABO LIBRARY  OF  THE   IMPERIAL    PALACE THE    CENSORSHIP  OF  THE 

PRESS ABSOLUTISM    SOMETIMES    USEFUL    IN   RUSSIA. 

THERE  are  some  writers  who  assert,  that  Nicho- 
las I.  was  the  ablest  sovereign  who  has  wielded  the 
sceptre  of  the  czars  since  the  reign  of  Peter  the 
Great.  This  opinion  is  absurd;  because  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  mighty  and  comprehen- 
sive genius  of  Catherine  II.  occupied  and  filled  that 
dizzy  and  dangerous  eminence,  with  a  degree  of 
success  and  triumph  which  far  surpass  any  thing  of 
which  Nicholas,  in  his  most  presumptuous  mood, 
could  ever  boast. 

Nevertheless,  Nicholas  was  a  man  of  signal 
ability,  in  one  peculiar  department  of  the  science 
of  government,  though  that  department  is  by  no 
means  the  highest  or  the  most  difficult.  His  ad- 
ministrative talents  were  very  great ;  and  the  plain, 
clear,  and  sagacious  common-sense  which  he  pos- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  211 

sessed, — combined  with  his  unyielding  pertinacity, 
obstinacy,  and  self-confidence, —  enabled  him,  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  his  long  reign  of  thirty  years, 
not  only  to  carry  forward  his  vast  plans  of  ag- 
gression against  his  weaker  neighbours,  but  also 
to  introduce  the  utmost  uniformity,  order,  and 
regularity  into  the  administration  of  every  por- 
tion of  his  heterogeneous  empire.  Hence  it  is 
that  he  has,  with  considerable  truth,  been  termed 
the  first  policeman  of  his  empire,  and  the  first 
drill-sergeant  of  his  army.  During  his  reign,  the 
commerce  of  Russia  has  been  greatly  increased. 
The  arts  have  been  fostered  and  encouraged. 
Public  order  and  credit  have  been  maintained. 
Civilization  has  advanced  and  extended  among 
the  lower,  as  well  as  among  the  higher,  classes 
of  his  subjects ;  so  that  the  stigma  of  "  Russian 
barbarism,"  which  was  once  so  universally  applied 
to  that  empire,  is  now  scarcely  an  appropriate  epi- 
thet in  reference  to  any  considerable  portion  of  its 
present  inhabitants. 

Many  of  the  evils  which  attended  the  reign  of 
Nicholas  were  attributable,  not  so  much  to  any 
defect  of  character  in  the  sovereign,  as  to  the 
worthlessness  of  many  of  his  most  eminent  and 
influential  servants,  who  successfully  blinded  their 
master  as  to  their  own  real  turpitude.  One  of  the 

21 


THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

most  reprehensible  of  these  was  Count  Klein- 
micliel;  who  is  represented  as  being  a  person  of 
the  most  degraded  character,  yet  who  possessed, 
for  many  years,  the  confidence  of  the  czar.  This 
man  obtained  and  held  his  post,  by  bowing  most 
obsequiously  to  the  imperial  will;  by  pandering 
industriously  to  the  pleasures  of  the  monarch ;  and 
by  the  total  absence  of  all  honour  and  scruple  in 
his  execution  of  the  wishes  of  his  despotic  master. 
The  author  of  an  able  work  on  Russia,*  in  speak- 
ing of  this  nobleman,  narrates  the  following  inci- 
dent. It  may  be  thought  that  the  emperor  waa 
deceived  in  this  man's  character.  Scarcely  can  this 
be  so.  Kleinmichel,  as  he  rose  in  influence,  bit- 
terly resented  some  insult  which  he  had  received 
from  Paskie witch.  Afterward,  on  the  elevation 
of  the  latter  to  the  rank  of  field-marshal,  and 
to  the  highest  of  the  fourteen  classes  of  no- 
bility, (the  Tchinn,)  he  came  to  St.  Petersburg. 
According  to  etiquette,  it  became  the  duty  of 
Kleiumichel  to  call  on  Paskiewitch ;  and  Nicholas, 
in  a  familiar  conversation  with  his  favourite,  re- 
minded him  of  that  duty.  Kleinmichel  imme- 
diately replied,  that  he  had  already  called  on  the 
field-marshal  that  very  morning.  As  Kleinmichel 

*•  Eastern  Europe,  vol.  iii.  p.  47. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  243 

was  taking  his  leave,  however,  Paskiewitch  euterod 
the  imperial  apartment;  and  during  the  conversa- 
tion which  ensued,  the  fact  came  out,  that  the  fa- 
vourite had  not  yet  visited  Paskiewitch.  Nicholas 
instantly  sent  for  Kleinmichel ;  demanded  an  ex- 
planation ;  and  the  latter,  at  once  discovering  that 
he  had  been  detected  in  falsehood,  humbly  replied, 
"Vinabat,  I  have  erred."  Nicholas  ordered  him 
under  arrest  for  several  days,  and  then,  received 
him  again  into  his  full  favour  and  confidence. 

This  expression,  vinabat,  seemed  to  have  been  a 
favourite  with  this  nobleman ;  for  when  secretary 
to  Arakchieff,  the  founder  of  the  celebrated,  but 
unsuccessful,  military  colonies  of  the  czar,  an  im- 
portant document  was  lost,  which  had  been  con- 
fided to  the  keeping  of  Kleinmichel.  The  anger 
of  Arakchieif  was  intensely  aroused;  he  fiercely 
abused  Kleiumichel,  and  then  commanding  him  to 
come  nearer,  he  spat  into  his  face.  Kleinmichel 
bowed  his  head,  calmly  wiped  his  insulted  vis- 
age, and  said,  with  the  utmost  humility,  "Vino- 
bat!" 

Another  favourite  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  was 
Count  Kakoshkine,  chief  of  the  civil  police  office. 
The  following  authentic  incident,  in  this  man's 
life,  will  indicate  his  true  character.  A  very  re- 
spectable Pole  had  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  ru- 


244  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

bles  stolen  from  his  private  drawer,  which  the  thief 
had  broken  open.  The  latter  was  on  good  terms 
with  the  police,  and  the  produce  of  the  robbery 
was  divided  between  them.  The  thief  then 
brought  an  accusation  against  the  loser  of  the 
money;  and  both — the  accuser  and  the  accused — 
were  imprisoned  on  their  respective  charges.  In 
a  few  days  the  thief  was  released;  but  the  Pole 
was  detained  in  prison  for  a  whole  year,  without 
being  able  to  obtain  a  trial.  At  length,  after  ex- 
traordinary exertions,  the  case  was  examined  by 
the  judge  of  the  district.  The  police  then  in- 
formed the  Pole,  that  the  man  who  committed  the 
robbery  was  dead;  and  he  was  then  himself  dis- 
charged on  bail,  without  being  able  to  find .  any 
trace  of  his  lost  money;  but  discharged  in  such  a 
conditional  way,  that  he  was  liable  to  be  re-arrested 
at  any  moment,  in  case  he  made  an  inconvenient 
noise  upon  the  subject.  Such  is  Russian  justice  in 
a  great  majority  of  cases ! 

We  may  cite  another  instance.  Among  the  per- 
sons who  frequented  the  chief  market  of  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, was  a  nobleman,  who  had  contracted  a 
constant  habit  of  pilfering.  In  one  of  the  booths  of 
the  market,  a  young  woman  vended  a  peculiar  and 
attractive  style  of  handkerchief.  The  shopkeeper 
soon  began  to  find,  that  her  stock  of  these  hand- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  245 

kerchiefs  mysteriously  disappeared.  Her  opposite 
neighbour — an  honest  countryman,  who  sold  pro- 
visions—  gave  her  to  understand  that  he  knew 
what  became  of  her  goods.  From  his  position, 
across  the  street,  he  had  seen  this  nobleman  se- 
creting these  handkerchiefs  under  the  ample  folds 
of  his  garment.  The  countryman  informed  the 
shopkeeper  of  this  fact.  The  latter  exclaimed, 
"  He  is  a  prince !  Say  no  more  about  it !  "We 
will  only  gel;  into  trouble!"  "I  not  speak?" 
answered  the  farmer.  "But  I  will  speak.  I  will 
see  if  there  is  any  justice  in  Russia!"  Accord- 
ingly, the  next  time  the  noble  made  his  appear- 
ance, the  farmer  watched  him ;  and  as  soon  as  he 
had  secreted  another  handkerchief,  the  farmer  came 
forward,  denounced  the  thief,  and  pulled  forth  from 
the  place  of  its  concealment  the  stolen  article. 
The  affair,  which  had  excited  the  attention  of  the 
crowd,  had  become  too  public  to  be  entirely  over- 
looked. Accordingly,  the  thief  and  his  accuser 
retired  with  the  police  to  the  place  of  hearing. 
The  witness  briefly  stated  what  he  had  seen,  and 
was  then  dismissed  to  his  shop.  Three  days  after- 
ward the  farmer  disappeared,  and  was  never  seen 
again ;  and  in  a  few  days  more,  the  young  wo- 
man, whose  goods  had  been  stolen  by  this  titled 
and  polished  robber,  shared  a  similarly  myste- 

21* 


246  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

rious  fate.  This  event  occurred  in  the  capital 
itself,  and  not  in  some  distant  and  ill-governed 
province,  where  the  sources  of  justice  were  remote, 
but  where  the  minister  of  police,  and  even  the  sove- 
reign himself,  were  easily  accessible. 

A  third  favourite  of  Nicholas  was  Prince  Tcherni- 
chef,  the  minister  of  war.  This  man,  when  very- 
young,  first  obtained  distinction,  as  an  attache  of 
the  Russian  legation  at  Paris,  in  1812.  He  dis- 
covered beforehand  the  meditated  invasion  of  Russia 
by  Napoleon;  and  through  the  treachery  of  four 
Jews  connected  with  the  foreign  office  in  Paris,  he 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  plan  of  the  campaign,  with 
which  invaluable  treasure  he  instantly  started  for 
St.  Petersburg. 

He  was  a  relative  of  that  Tchernichef,  who  was 
implicated  in  the  conspiracy  against  Nicholas  at  the 
period  of  his  accession ;  and  after  the  punishment  of 
that  offender,  the  czar  desired  that  the  favourite 
should  be  put  in  possession  of  his  forfeited  estates. 
Accordingly,  the  sovereign  requested  the  mother 
of  the  culprit  to  adopt  his  namesake.  The  lady 
replied,  that  she  would  willingly  receive  him  as  an 
aide-de-camp  of  her  emperor,  but  could  never  regard 
him  as  a  relative.  During  the  Polish  war,  Tcherni- 
chef was  the  undoubted  cause  of  the  failure  of 
General  Diebitsch,  in  his  movements  and  conflicts 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  247 

with  tlie  heroic  Poles.  Tchernichef  was  the  per- 
sonal enemy  of  Diebitsch ;  and  as  minister  of  war 
he  succeeded  in  thwarting  all  the  wisest  and  ablest 
efforts  of  that  general.  He  withheld  from  him  the 
necessary  reinforcements,  both  of  men  and  of  pro- 
visions, at  the  most  critical  and  important  moments. 
He  was  in  fact  the  cause  of  the  total  discomfiture  of 
Diebitsch,  of  his  grievous  mortifications,  and  even- 
tually even  of  his  death ;  which  was  either  produced 
directly  by  poison,  administered  by  Count  Orloff  at 
his  instance,  or  by  the  drunkenness  which  was 
superinduced  by  his  despair.  General  Diebitsch 
represented  the  German  faction  in  the  court  and 
capital.  General  Paskiewitch  was  the  head  of  the 
Russian.  They  were  men  of  equal  talent  and  expe- 
rience. But  the  career  of  the  one  was  cut  off 
prematurely  in  the  midst  of  disgrace  and  ignominy, 
by  the  deadly  agency  of  malice  invested  with  power ; 
while  the  glory  of  the  other  was  enhanced  and  pro- 
longed, by  the  fortunate  possession  of  official  favour 
and  influence,  in  its  nature  equally  partial  and  unde- 
served. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  Nicholas  was  his  un- 
flinching hostility  to  France.  "While  he  admired 
the  martial  traits  of  the  character  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon, he  hated  the  French  court  and  nation  with  a 
"perfect  hatred;"  and  never  forgave  the  miseries 


218  THE   LIFE   AND    HEIGN 

and  indignities  formerly  heaped  upon  Russia,  by  tlie 
French  conqueror  and  his  countrymen.  On  the 
accession  of  Louis  Philippe,  it  required  all  the  in- 
fluence of  Nesselrode*  to  restrain  the  czar  from 


*  The  following  remarks  on  the  life  of  the  celebrated  Prince  Nessel- 
rode,  so  long  the  prime  minister  of  Nicholas,  may  interest  the  reader : 
Golovine  tells  us  that  he  was  born  within  sight  of  Lisbon,  on  board 
an  English  ship,  of  German  parents  in  the  Russian  service ;  for  which 
reason  he  ironically  observes  that  four  powers  might  claim  the  glory 
of  possessing  him  among  their  subjects.  He  was  first  remarked  at 
the  time  of  the  Russian  mission  to  the  French  First  Consul,  and  ele- 
vated to  power  during  the  invasion  of  Russia  in  1812  ;  and  having  so 
long  presided  over  the  policy  of  a  vast  and  ambitious  empire,  he 
is  ranked  in  general  estimation  throughout  Europe  among  cabinet 
celebrities  with  Talleyrand  and  Metternich.  Nevertheless,  says 
that  author,  between  the  astuteness  and  talent  of  Metternich  and 
Nesselrode,  and  the  power  which  each  has  exercised,  there  lies  a 
world  of  difference.  While  Metternich  has  governed,  and  governs, 
an  empire  like  a  sovereign,  Nesselrode  has  never  been  more  than  the 
chief  of  his  department.  The  knowledge  acquired  by  a  hard-work- 
ing minister,  during  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  of  all  the 
tortuous  .secrets  of  his  cabinet,  and  treasured  by  a  retentive  memory, 
have  made  him  too  valuable  a  servitor  to  discard ;  particularly  when 
adding,  as  he  does,  to  this  qualification  a  perfect  pliancy  to  the  will 
of  his  master,. 

Among  the  other  favourites  of  Nicholas,  Count  Orloff  held  a  promi- 
nent place.  There  is  a  mistaken  notion  in  the  minds  of  many,  that 
Count  Orloff,  the  friend  and  confidant  of  the  emperor,  was  the  grand- 
son of  the  conspirator  Gregory  Orloff,  the  favourite  of  Catherine  II., 
and  one  of  the  principal  actors  in  the  terrible  tragedy  of  Peter  III. ; 
and  the  name  being  thus  associated  with  treason  and  murder,  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  the  effect  produced  on  those  who  are  not  correctly 
informed  on  the  subject. 

The  present  Orloff,  of  whom  we  have  heard  so  much,  was  not  the 
grandson  of  Count  Gregory  Orloff,  but  a  son  of  Count  Foe'dor  Grigorie- 
vitch,  a  younger  brother  of  the  former,  who  died  at  Moscow  in  1790, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  249 

sending  to  the  French  king  a  letter  so  insulting, 
that  it  would  have  immediately  produced  a  war 
between  the  two  countries.  As  it  was,  the  missive 
of  Nicholas  to  Louis  Philippe,  acknowledging  his 
accession  to  the  throne,  was  exceedingly  haughty  in 
its  style,  and  deficient  even  in  the  usual  expressions 
of  formal  courtesy.  The  letter  of  the  French  mon- 
arch to  Nicholas,  began  with  the  friendly  and  cus- 
tomary phrase  between  sovereigns:  Monsieur  mon 
Frere,  (Sir,  my  Brother.)  In  his  reply,  Nicholas 
omitted  these  words;  and  the  whole  tone  of  the 
communication  was  sarcastic  and  contemptuous  in 
the  extreme.  Yet  Louis  Philippe  had  the  good 
sense  to  overlook  the  irritating  conduct  of  the  czar, 
in  order  to  secure  to  France  the  blessings  of  peace. 

Even  with  regard  to  the  domestic  character  of 
Nicholas,  in  reference  to  which,  it  might  be  sup- 
posed, there  could  be  no  difference  of  opinion, 


without  any  legitimate  heirs,  but  leaving  several  natural  children,  who 
were  ennobled  by  Catherine,  the  name  of  Orloff  being  also  conferred 
on  them.  The  present  Count  Alexis  Foedorovitch  Orloff  was  born  in 
1787,  and  early  obtained  promotion  in  the  army.  In  1825,  he  was 
the  first  to  hasten  to  the  place  of  the  Winter  Palace,  with  his  five 
regiments  of  horse-guards,  on  the  day  of  revolt ;  and  this  important 
service  laid  the  foundation  of  the  favour  he  has  since  enjoyed.  He  is 
said  by  many  to  combine  with  superior  intelligence,  great  firmness  of 
mind,  and  the  most  honourable  character;  and,  in  that  case,  we  may 
believe  that  ho  would  treat  lightly  the  title  of  poisoner  which  slander 
has  attempted  to  attach  to  his  name. 


250  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

conflicting  sentiments  really  exist.  It  is  generally 
supposed  that  he  was  a  most  excellent  father  and 
husband.  A  recent  traveller,  speaking  of  the  im- 
perial palace  at  St.  Petersburg,  describes  what  he 
saw  of  the  nursery  of  the  Grand  Duke,  now  the 
Czar,  Alexander.  In  1841,  he  was  married  to  a 
princess  of  Hesse;  and  four  sons  are  the  fruit  of 
their  union.  In  the  imperial  nursery,  these- chil- 
dren were  at  play.  It  was  a  large,  lofty,  and  hand- 
some room,  containing  little  furniture,  but  filled 
with  all  kinds  of  toys, — carts,  hobby-horses,  sentry- 
ooxes,  wheels,  soldiers,  sledges,  and  every  thing 
which  could  interest  the  youthful  princes.  The 
emperor  Mcholas  was  present;  and  the  deep  in- 
terest which  he  displayed  in  the  sports  and  noisy 
diversions  of  the  children,  indicated  the  possession 
of  a  degree  of  sympathy  and  pleasure  in  the  amuse- 
ments of  his  grandchildren,  which  was  highly  credit- 
able to  the  sovereign. 

On  the  other  hand,  his  domestic  despotism  is  said 
to  have  been  as  absolute  as  his  political.  He  regu- 
lated the  dress,  occupation,  visits,  and  every  thing 
connected  with  the  imperial  family,  with  the  utmost 
rigour  and  minuteness,  as  if  the  palace  was  a 
barrack.  He  kept  the  empress  in  a  continual  state 
of  representation ;  compelling  her  to  endure  a  con- 
stant and  wearisome  round  of  stately  ceremonies. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  2ol 

The  Duke  of  Lcuchtenberg,  his  son-in-law,  was 
actually  arrested  several  times,  by  the  czar's  com- 
mand, for  not  having  his  coat  buttoned  according 
to  rule !  Nicholas  also  treated  it  as  an  act  of  lese- 
majesti,  for  the  young  duke  to  enter  the  apartments 
of  his  wife,  and  sit  down  beside  her  in  his  robe-de- 
ckambre.  The  czar  once  became  quite  enraged 
when"  he  beheld  the  duke  smoking  by  the  side  of 
the  princess.  He  reprimanded  him  severely  for  this 
heinous  offence ;  and  in  truth  he  governed  his  whole 
family  precisely  as  if  he  thought  the  imperial  house- 
hold to  have  been  constantly  On  parade  !  The  Duke 
of  Leuchtenberg  has  left  on  record  his  opinion  of 
the  condition  of  the  members  of  the  imperial  family. 
The  proposition  was  discussed  at  one  time,  by  the 
court,  of  arranging  a  marriage  between  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux,  and  one  of  the  daughters  of  the  czar. 
The  project  was  soon  thrown  aside;  and  the  Duke 
of  Leuchtenberg,  in  conversation  with  a  French 
nobleman  shortly  afterward,  said:  "Let  the  Duke 
of  Bordeaux  thank  heaven,  that  he  has  not  been 
fated  to  share  the  cage  in  which  I  vegetate !"  The 
marriage  between  the  grand  duchess,  daughter  of 
Nicholas,  and  the  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg,  was  one 
of  real  affection  between  the  parties.  Nicholas 
would  have  opposed  and  prevented  it,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  fact,  that  the  desperate  attachment  of 


252  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

the  princess  to  the  handsome  and  graceful  Beau- 
harnais,  actually  endangered  her  health  and  life; 
and  that  the  princess,  upon  her  knees,  and  with 
floods  of  tears,  besought  her  father  to  bestow  his 
consent  upon  a  union,  on  which  her  happiness,  and 
even  her  existence,  depended.* 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  the  mind  of 
Nicholas  became  saddened  by  the  various  disap- 
pointments which  he  had  endured  during  his  reign, 
and  by  an  increasing  consciousness  of  many  evils 
existing  among  his  subjects,  which  he  had  laboured 
in  vain  to  eradicate.  He  gradually  became  sombre 
and  morose.  His  mental  faculties  even  were  defi- 
cient in  power;  and  he  did  not  display  the  same 
sagacity  and  penetration  which  had  characterized 
his  measures  at  an  earlier  period  of  his  reign.  The 
bitter  calumnies  of  his  political  enemies,  and  the 
slumbering  hostility  of  the  nobles,  which  secretly 


*  The  Grand  Duchess  Olga,  born  in  1822,  was  married  in  1846  to 
Charles,  Prince  Royal  of  Wurtemberg. 

The  young  Grand  Duke  Constantino,  who  is  high-admiral  of  the 
Russian  fleets,  born  in  1827,  was  married  in  1848  to  the  Princess 
Alexandra,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Saxe-Altenburg. 

The  younger  grand  dukes,  Nicholas  and  Michael,  have  not  as  yet 
contracted  any  matrimonial  alliances.  The  elder  grand  duke,  Michael, 
brother  of  the  emperor,  is  married  to  the  Princess  Helena,  daughter 
of  the  Prince  Paul  of  Wurtemberg,  brother  to  the  king ;  and  their 
daughter,  the  young  Grand  Duchess  Catherine,  was  married  in  1851 
to  George,  Duke  of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 


OF   NICHOLAS  THE   FIRST.  253 

burned  with  the  hidden  intensity  of  a  suppressed 
volcano,  disturbed  and  irritated  him.  Though  a 
man  of  dauntless  fortitude,  it  was  observed  that  he 
was  continually  moving  about  from  place  to  place. 
He  travelled  a  great  deal,  and  very  quickly.  Rest 
and  delay  appeared  to  be  tiresome  to  him.  Thought 
and  reflection  seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  driving 
him  mad.  The  blood  of  his  murdered  predecessors 
still  deeply  stained  the  steps  of  the  throne,  and 
struck  terror  into  his  own  soul,  in  apprehension 
of  meeting  a  similar  fate.  His  sleeping  apartment 
was  guarded  at  night  by  gigantic  Cossacks ;  and  he 
established  a  system  of  espionage,  even  within  the 
precincts  of  his  own  palace.  The  most  terrible 
apprehension,  however,  which  distressed  him  during 
his  latter  years,  was  the  well-grounded  fear  of  mad- 
ness. Many  members  of  the  Romanoff  dynasty 
had  been  afflicted  by  this  malady.  The  Emperor 
Paul  had  become  deranged,  long  before  the  occur- 
rence of  the  fearful  catastrophe  which  ended  his  life. 
Peter  ILL  had  been  similarly  afflicted  during  his  lat- 
ter years.  Many  other  members  of  this  illustrious 
house  had  been  more  or  less  subject  to  the  derange- 
ment of  their  intellects.  And  Mcholas  himself  was 
not  without  apprehensions  that  he  too  might  even- 
tually inherit  their  fate.  Though  he  remained  free 

from  madness,  or  .even  derangement  of  mind,  his 

22 


2t~4  THE   LIFE    AND   REIGN 

spirits  became  overclouded  by  a  settled  melancholy. 
Severity  and  moroseness  followed,  as  the  result  of 
this  trait ;  and  these,  in  their  turn,  threw  back  upon 
him  the  repulsive  shade  produced  by  them  upon  the 
minds  of  others. 

In  fact,  Nicholas  had  become  at  length  fully  con- 
scious that  he  had  not  reigned  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  have  won,  or  even  to  have  deserved,  the  affection 
of  his  subjects,  however  much  he  may  have  inspired 
them  with  terror. 

The  truth  of  this  assertion  may  be  proved  by  re- 
ference to  his  acts  of  general  legislation,  as  well  as 
by  those  referring  to  individuals.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, his  treatment  of  the  city  of  Abo,  the  re- 
nowned and  ancient  capital  of  Finland,  was  such  as 
to  turn  each  one  of  its  inhabitants  into  a  deter- 
mined foe.  Finland  had  once  been  a  flourishing 
and  happy  province  of  Sweden.  Having  been  at 
length  transferred,  by  mingled  force  and  fraud,  to 
the  Russian  sceptre,  it  became,  from  its  contiguity 
to  Sweden,  an  object  of  suspicion  and  dislike  to  the 
czar.  Gustavus  Adolphus  had  given  to  this  ancient 
city  a  gymnasium ;  and  Queen  Christina  had  erected 
there  a  university,  endowed  with  ample  funds,  and 
an  extensive  and  valuable  library.  Nicholas  de- 
spoiled Abo  of  all  her  privileges  as  a  capital,  and 
deprived  her  of  her  university,  her  library,  of  her 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  255 

scientific  collections,  and  of  every  thing  which  dis- 
tinguished and  adorned  her.  Helsingfors  became 
heir  to  the  imperial  favour,  and  to  all  the  advan- 
tages of  which  Abo  had  been  robbed.  The  sole 
reason  for  this  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  czar  was 
the  fact  that  Abo  was  too  near  to  Stockholm ;  that 
by  her  former  associations  and  her  literary  connec- 
tions, she  would  remain  too  much  under  Swedish 
influence.  Her  commerce  even  with  the  neigh- 
bouring Swedish  provinces,  was  so  trammelled  as  to 
destroy  it  entirely ;  and  Abo,  thus  shorn  of  all  her 
literary,  social,  and  commercial  advantages,  by  the 
selfish  and  unscrupulous  policy  of  the  czar,  fell  from 
her  high  state  of  prosperity  to  one  of  abject  lan- 
guor and  decrepitude.  The  history  and  fate  of  Abo 
clearly  demonstrate,  that  no  considerations  of  jus- 
tice or  humanity  ever  influenced  the  policy  of  Ni- 
cholas, in  the  administration  of  his  empire. 

In  spite  of  his  own  indifference  to  the  advance- 
ment of  literature  among  his  subjects,  St.  Peters- 
burg possesses  some  valuable  literary  treasures,  the 
acquisition  of  which  is  not  due,  however,  to  his 
exertions.  The  imperial  library  contains  400,000 
volumes,  which  have  been  collected  by  conquest  from 
various  countries,  including  Persia  and  Poland. 
Suwarrow,  during  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.,  seized 
300,000  volumes.  During  the  last  war  with  Poland, 


-l  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

Paskiewitck  obtained  possession  of  100,000  more. 
During  the  reign  of  terror  in  France,  the  sagacious 
Catherine  despatched  an  agent  to  Paris,  who  pur- 
chased at  low  prices  the  .confiscated  libraries  of  the 
nobility.  By  these  means  vast  multitudes  of  valu- 
able works  were  obtained,  and  transferred  to  St. 
Petersburg.  On  the  endless  shelves  which  contain 
the  imperial  library,  there  are  120  folio  volumes  of 
letters  from  French  princes  and  sovereigns.  There 
are  150  volumes  of  autographs  of  celebrated  per- 
sons, including  those  of  ministers,  ambassadors, 
generals,  prelates,  poets,  and  even  kings,  of  France. 
Among  these  is  a  sheet  of  paper,  on  which  Louis 
XIV.  had  written  six  times  successively,  and  in  a 
large  hand,  these  words,  so  consonant  with  his^  own 
absolute  feelings  and  principles:  "Homage  is  due 
to  kings ;  they  do  whatever  they  please." 

All  the  treasures  of  this  vast  library  are  useless 
to  the  nation.  The  circulation  of  books,  especially 
on  religious  subjects,  is  very  much  circumscribed. 
Nicholas  adopted  this  policy  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  necessary  to  "cut  off  the  evil  at  the  root;"  and 
as  literature  was  the  alleged  source  of  infidelity  and 
heresy  in  religion ;  of  democracy  and  the  desire  of 
liberty  in  politics ;  and  of  a  love  of  progress  and 
change  in  reference  to  society,  it  must  be  con- 
demned, crushed,  and  extirpated!  Prince  Dolgo- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  257 

rouki  and  Count  Golovin,  while  residing  in  Paris, 
published  several  works  on  political  economy,  with- 
out the  permission  of  the  czar.  The  latter  was 
highly  incensed  at  such  unwarrantable  boldness; 
and  both  noblemen  were  instantly  recalled.  Prince 
Dolgorouki  obeyed.  Count  Golovin  was  then  too 
ill  to  travel.  The  latter  was  condemned  by  the  czar 
to  lose  his  property  and  rank,  and  was  declared 
guilty  of  high  treason.  He  remained  in  Paris,  and 
published  another  work,*  in  which  he  enlightened 
the  world  as  to  the  true  state  of  despotism  in  Rus- 
sia, under  Nicholas.  Among  many  other  profound 
and  truthful  sentiments  uttered  by  him  in  reference 
to  his  despotic  sovereign,  the  following  deserve 
especial  notice : — "  Nicholas  is  tyrannical,  not  by 
nature,  but  by  conviction.  He  is  convinced  that 
if  he  governed  in  any  other  way,  his  empire  would 
not  prosper  as  much  as  it  does.  This  manner  of 
governing  has  now  become  a  settled  habit  with  him, 
and  he  has  at  length  learned  to  take  pleasure  in  acts 
of  arbitrary  despotism.  To  reign  over  Russia,  the 
Russians  themselves  declare,  a  sovereign  must  pos- 
sess an  iron  hand.  True ;  but  still,  this  hand  should 
be  gloved.  The  hand  of  Nicholas  is  one  of  iron ; 
but  he  has  forgotten  the  glove." 


*  La  Russie  sous  Nicholas  I. :  par  Ivan  Golovin,  Paris. 
22* 


258  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

Nicholas  has  made  the  censorship  over  the  press 
so  strict,  as  almost  entirely  to  suppress  its  influence 
and  existence.  Recent  Russian  literature  has  ac- 
cordingly become  little,  more  than  the  production 
of  a  few  tales,  of  comedies  translated  from  the 
French,  and  of  scientific  works  taken  from  other 
languages.  The  course  of  studies  taught  in  the 
Russian  universities  is  such  as  comports  with  the 
limited  ideas  of  the  czar,  with  reference  to  liberal 
learning.  The  University  of  Dorpat  has  produced 
several  men  who  are  eminent  in  astronomy,  The 
University  of  St.  Petersburg  has  won  a  name  in  the 
department  of  archaeology ;  and  the  few  monuments 
of  antiquity  which  exist  within  the  limits  of  the 
empire,  Nicholas  has  carefully  collected,  preserved, 
and  illustrated.  But  this  ends  the  brief  and  barren 
history  of  what  Nicholas  has  done,  for  the  higher 
branches  of  learning,  among  his  subjects. 

With  great  truth  may  it  be  said,  as  the  prominent 
feature  of  the  reign  of  Nicholas,  that  his  empire,  his 
army,  his  court,  his  family, — all  were  overgoverned. 
Nicholas  seemed  to  have  had  no  conception  what- 
ever, of  the  great  republican  doctrine  of  the  capa- 
bility of  mankind  for  self-government.  The  ab- 
sence of  a  despotic  sceptre,  he  seemed  to  regard 
as  the  greatest  calamity  which  could  possibly  befall 
any  nation;  as  an  evil  only  to  be  equalled  by  the 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  259 

presence  and  possession  of  popular  and  democratic 
liberty. 

It  must  be  confessed,  that  there  was  some  excuse 
for  entertaining  such  a  sentiment,  in  a  nation  so 
generally  mercenary  and  fraudulent,  as  that  over 
which  Nicholas  reigned.  The  truth  of  this  remark 
will  be  illustrated  by  the  following  incident : — 

At  an  early  period  of  his  reign,  the  emperor  held 
as  usual  a  grand  review  of  his  army  at  his  magni- 
ficent chateau  of  Tsarsko-Selo.  His  position  was  in 
front  of  his  far-extending  lines,  in  the  centre.  He 
was  surrounded  by  his  brilliant  staff.  A  more  im- 
posing display  of  military  splendour  was  probably 
never  witnessed,  than  that  which  the  admirably- 
drilled  and  accoutred  army  of  the  czar  then  pre- 
sented. At  that  moment  four  peasants,  or  moujiks, 
clad  in  the  rude  costume  of  their  order,  with  long 
beards  and  wearing  caftans,  advanced  from  the 
crowd,  approached  a  superior  officer,  and  demanded 
to  be  allowed  to  address  the  emperor.  This  extra- 
ordinary request  was  at  once  refused ;  but  the  pea- 
sants persisted,  and  declared  that  they  had  a  matter 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  communicate  to  the 
sovereign. 

At  this  moment,  Nicholas  himself  perceived  the 
peasants,  and  the  officer,  thus  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion ;  and  the  novelty  of  the  incident,  on  such  an 


260  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

occasion,  excited  his  curiosity.  He  ordered  them  to 
be  brought  into  his  presence.  The  whole  party  im- 
mediately approached.  The  peasants  bowed  to  the 
ground.  One  of  them  then  boldly  spoke.  He  and 
his  associates  had  just  discovered  the  most  incredible 
depredations,  which  had  been  committed  at  the  for- 
tress of  Cronstadt,  by  some  of  the  officers  stationed 
there.  They  declared  that  at  that  moment  the 
..bazaar  of  the  capital  was  crowded  with  goods  that 
belonged  to  the  crown,  with  rigging,  ironwork, 
copper  lining,  anchors,  cables,  and  even  cannon, 
and  a  thousand  other  things,  which  had  been  stolen 
from  the  fortress  and  the  fleet,  and  were  then 
heaped  up  in  the  shops,  exposed  to  sale. 

Nicholas  was  astounded  at  this  declaration,  and 
in  fact  disbelieved  it.  He  inquired  of  the  boors, 
why  they  had  not  communicated  this  information 
to  the  officer,  instead  of  persisting  to  see  himself? 
They  replied,  that  if  they  had  done  so,  the  informa- 
tion would  never  have  reached  his  majesty;  and 
they  would  also  have  been  ruined  by  the  perse- 
cution of  the  offenders.  "Take  care,"  responded 
the  czar;  "I  will  hold  you  responsible  for  the  truth 
of  what  you  say."  He  immediately  ordered  one  of 
his  officers  to  repair  to  Cronstadt  with  300  men, 
and  make  investigations.  The  report  of  the  officer 
was,  that  the  declaration  of  the  boors  was  true,  to 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  201 

the  fullest  extent.  The  indignation  of  Nicholas  at 
this  statement  may  readily  be  imagined;  and  he 
ordered  the  offenders  to  be  immediately  arrested, 
and  prosecuted  with  the  utmost  rigour.  The  trial 
would  have  taken  place  in  a  few  days ;  but  during 
the  interval  between  their  arrest  and  their  trial,  a 
tremendous  conflagration  at  Cronstadt  destroyed 
the  storehouses,  and  vast  quantities  of  timber,  rope, 
hemp,  and  tar ;  and  by  the  devouring  flames  every 
possible  proof  was  swept  away,  which  could  have  esta- 
blished the  guilt  of  the  culprits.  They  consequently 
escaped;  and  their  adroit  and  triumphant  villany 
was  permitted  to  remain  unpunished,  to  achieve 
new  triumphs  in  their  nefarious  work. 

Innumerable  instances  of  this  kind,  demonstrative 
of  the  national  character,  occurred  during  the  reign 
of  Nicholas ;  and  hence  it  was  that  he  felt  com- 
pelled to  rule  with  despotic  rigour,  over  a  nation  of 
unscrupulous  and  deceitful  men.  The  passion  for 
governing,  indeed,  thus  grew  into  a  disease  with 
him.  It  became  a  mental  malady ;  in  fact,  it  was 
his  peculiar  idiosyncracy,  to  introduce  uniformity, 
regularity,  and  unity,  into  every  possible  depart- 
ment of  Russian  life 'and  activity.  It  had  become 
his  monomania.  Once  he  visited  the  botanic  gardens 
of  the  celebrated  Professor  Ledebuhr.  He  observed' 
that  all  the  flowerpots  were  not  of  the  same  size 


THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

and  colour,  and  he  said  to  the  savant,  "  These  flower- 
pots ought  all  to  be  alike;"  meaning  that  they 
should  look  like  soldiers  on  parade.  "How  could 
that  be?"  responded  the  learned  professor,  "unless 
the  plants  were  all  cut  to  the  same  size  ?"  Nicholas 
replied:  "Well,  then,  have  them  cut  down.  I  like 
to  see  them  all  alike ;  they  look  much  handsomer 
when  they  are  all  uniform,  than  when  they  are 
not!"* 


*  The  truth  of  this  incident  is  vouched  for  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
Christmas,  in  his  work  on  Nicholas  and  Russia:  London,  1854. 


OP  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  2G3 


\ |U  CHAPTER  XXI. 

WAR   IN    THE   CAUCASUS — ANCIENT    HISTOBT    OF  THAT    COUNTRY CHA- 
RACTER   OF    THE    CAUCASIAN    CHIEFS VISIT    OF    NICHOLAS     TO    THE 

CAUCASUS   IN    1847 — INCIDENTS    OF   THE    WAR    IN    THE    CAUCASUS 

SCHAMYL    SUCCESSFULLY    RESISTS     THE    RUSSIAN    TROOPS — VISIT   OF 

NICHOLAS   TO   WESTERN  EUROPE   IN  1844 INSURRECTION  OF  CRACOW 

IN    1846 HUNGARIAN    REVOLUTION    IN    1848. 

HAVING  dwelt  thus  long  on  the  personal  adven- 
tures and  qualities  of  Nicholas,  and  on  the  internal 
administration  of  his  empire,  it  is  proper  that  we 
should  now  resume  the  narrative  which  appertains 
to  the  great  and  characteristic  principle  of  his 
reign, — his  insatiable  thirst  for  conquest  and  ag- 
gression. He  will  now  he  seen  actively  engaged 
in  a  country,  comparatively  new  to  our  history, — 
that  of  the  Caucasus,  or  Circassia. 

Nicholas  pretended  to  claim  jurisdiction  over  the 
whole  region  which  extends  between  the  Black 
and  the  Caspian  Seas,  the  Kouban  and  Armenia. 
This  region  he  termed  the  provinces  of  the  Cau- 
casus. It  contains  about  two  millions  and  a  half 
of  inhabitants.  It  is  divided  into  three  distinct 
provinces;  but  the  most  important  are;: — 1.  Geor- 


204  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

gia,  which  is  entirely  subdued  to  the  Russian 
authority;  2.  Daghestan,  the  home  of  Schamyl,  in 
the  Eastern  Caucasus;  3.  Circassia,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  province  of  Daghestan,  never  yet 
has  been  conquered  by  the  armies  of  the  czars, 
although  the  nefarious  attempts  of  the  latter  to 
subjugate  these  noble  mountaineers  to  their  slavish 
yoke  have  been  carried  on,  with  short  intervals,  for 
the  last  fifty  years. 

In  ancient  times,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Caucasus 
were  remarkable  for  the  same  qualities  \vhich  cha- 
racterize them  now.  Herodotus  and  Strabo  speak 
of  them,  as  a  bold  and  fearless  people,  who  lived 
a  semi-nomadic  life,  and  who  were  unconquerable 
even  by  the  veteran  legions  of  Macedon  and  Rome. 
The  shores  of  the  Cimmerian  Bosphorus  were  in- 
vaded, and  the  Iberians  and  Albanians  were  subju- 
gated, by  the  armies  of  Pompey ;  but  they  did  not 
venture  far  into  the  mountains.  North  of  these 
mountains,  there  are  fertile  and  lovely  plains,  wa- 
tered with  the  Kouban  and  Terek  Rivers.  The 
Circassian  soil  is  everywhere  fertile  and  productive. 
A  great  portion  of  their  country  is  covered  with 
primeval  forests.  The  climate  is  hot  in  the  valleys ; 
but  the  plains  beyond  the  mountains  possess  a  more 
moderate  and  agreeable  temperature. 

The  real  boundary  of  Russia  in  these  regions  is 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  'J»;."j 

at  Anapa,  the  most  northerly  point  upon  the  east- 
ern coast  of  the  Black  Sea.  It  is  a  celebrated  for- 
tress, originally  built  by  the  Turks,  to  protect  their 
trade  with  the  tribes  of  the  Circassians,  and  which 
was  ceded  to  Russia  by  the  treaty  of  Yassy.  The 
coasts  of  Circassia  extend  to  the  very  walls  of  this 
fortress,  along  which  the  Russians,  notwithstanding 
all  their  efforts  and  sacrifices,  have  only  succeeded 
in  establishing  a  few  isolated  forts,  which  are  in  con- 
tinual danger  of  destruction  from  the  sudden  attacks 
of  the  mountaineers. 

Nicholas  tried  the  potency  of  bribes,  when  war 
and  bloodshed  failed,  to  seduce  the  brave  Circassian 
chiefs  to  submit  to  the  "  protection"  of  Russia ;  and 
forty  sons  of  the  chiefs  were  once  sent  to  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, in  order  to  behold  the  greatness,  and  ac- 
quire the  civilization,  of  the  capital  and  people  of 
Muscovy.  But,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  these 
youths  to  seduce  their  stern  relatives  to  submission, 
their  exertions  have  never  met  with  any  success. 
The  handsome  young  Circassian  chiefs  were  de- 
lighted with  the  voluptuous  dissipations  of  the 
capital ;  but  these  were  considerations  which  failed 
to  convince  the  resolute  heroes  of  the  Caucasus, 
Schamyl  and  his  devoted  adherents;  who,  to  this 
day,  still  defy  both  the  seductive  and  the  compulsory 
powers  of  the  Russian  autocrat. 

23 


JGG  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

Immediately  after  the  treaty  of  Adrianople  with 
Turkey,  in  1829,  Nicholas  commenced  a  desultory 
warfare  with  the  mountaineers  of  the  Caucasus. 
He  established  a  line  of  forts  along  the  coast  of 
the  Black  Sea,  for  the  purpose  of  overawing  the 
interior  of  the  country.  The  hostile  chiefs  were  ex- 
ceedingly bold  and  defiant.  An  instance  is  re- 
corded, in  which  one  of  them  appeared  alone  before 
the  gates  of  Anapa,  abused  the  Russians,  and  defied 
them  to  single  combat.  Exasperated  by  his  invec- 
tives, the  commandant  of  the  fortress  ordered  him 
to  be  fired  at  with  grape-shot.  The  horse  of  the 
mountaineer  reared,  and  threw  his  rider;  but  the 
latter  instantly  mounted  again;  approached  still 
nearer  to  the  walls;  fired  his  pistol  at  point-blank 
distance  at  the  soldiers,  and  then  galloped  off  again 
unhurt  to  the  mountains. 

The  Circassians  repudiated  those  clauses  of  the 
treaty  of  Adrianople,  which  gave  the  czar  his 
groundless  pretence  to  jurisdiction  over  them;  and 
they  very  justly  denied  that  Turkey  possessed  any 
right  whatever  to  sell,  or  Russia  to  purchase,  that 
jurisdiction.  They  determined  to  resist  to  the 
utmost  their  subjugation  to  a  powerful  and  perni- 
cious foe.  For  some  years,  therefore,  a  conflict  was 
carried  on,  during  which  the  Circassians,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  gifted  Schamyl,  performed  prodigies 


OF    NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  207 

of  valour;  frequently  defeated  the  detachments 
which  were  sent  from  the  forts  on  the  shores  of 
the  Black  Sea  to  invade  their  mountains ;  and  pre- 
vented the  czar  from  acquiring  any  solid  advan- 
tages over  them. 

In  1837,  Nicholas  visited  the  Caucasus  in  person. 
He  determined  to  examine  for  himself  the  theatre 
of  a  war,  which  had  been  so  unexpectedly  disas- 
trous to  his  plans  of  aggression.  He  invited  the 
chiefs  of  the  country  to  various  conferences  with 
him,  protected  by  the  parole  of  the  Russian  sove- 
reign. They  boldly  repaired  to  his  head-quarters  afc 
Anapa ;  but  Nicholas,  instead  of  conciliating  them 
by  words  of  kindness  and  moderation,  exasperated 
them  with  threatening  and  insulting  language,  "  Do 
you  know,"  said  he,  "that  I  have  powder  enough 
to  blow  up  all  your  mountains?" 

During  the  three  years  which  followed  this  visit 
of  Nicholas  to  the  Caucasus,  he  sent  out  a  constant 
succession  of  detachments.  Golovin,  on  the  fron- 
tiers of  Georgia,  Grabe,  on  the  north,  and  Racifsky 
on  the  Circassian  seaboard,  made  every  exertion  to 
execute  the  peremptory  orders  of  the  czar,  at  once 
to  crush  and  subjugate  the  rebellious  mountaineers. 
In  1839,  Grabe  executed  his  famous  expedition 
against  Schamyl  in  the  Eastern  Caucasus.  His 
army  consisted  of  six  thousand  men.  In  three 


268  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

months  he  lost  one  thousand  soldiers,  and  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  officers,  and  was  then  compelled  to 
retreat  and  entirely  evacuate  the  countiy  which  he 
had  invaded.  All  the  expeditions  sent  against 
these  people  were  successively  defeated,  by  desul- 
tory attacks  in  the  mountains,  by  ambuscades,  and 
by  the  severities  of  the  climate.  All  that  the 
marauders  could  accomplish  was  the  burning  and 
destruction  of  a  few  villages.  Wherever  the  nature 
of  the  ground  gave  the  Russians  an  opportunity  to 
employ  their  artillery,  and  to  display  their  skill  in 
engineering  and  the  science  of  warfare,  they  were 
successful  in  beating  their  foe.  But  these  oppor- 
tunities were  very  rare ;  and  during  the  rest  of  the 
campaign,  the  dauntless  heroism  of  the  Circassians, 
and  their  desultory  attacks,  continually  vanquished 
the  invaders. 

The  year  1840  was  even  more  disastrous  to  the 
arms  of  Nicholas  in  the  Caucasus.  The  Circas- 
sians succeeded  in  taking  nearly  all  the  new  forts 
which  the  czar  had  erected  on  their  coasts,  even 
those  best  fortified  by  artillery.  They  intercepted 
the  military  road  from  the  Kuban  River  to  Guland- 
chik.  They  stormed  and  took  Fort  St.  Nicholas, 
which  commanded  the  road,  and  massacred  the  gar- 
rison. All  the  Black  Sea  garrisons  were  unfor- 
tunate ;  and  the  detachments  sent  into  the  interior 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  209 

of  the  country  were  vanquished,  and  returned  with 
desperate  losses.  The  military  colonies  of  Russia 
on  the  Terek  were  attacked  and  plundered.  When 
General  Golovin  returned  to  his  winter-quarters,  at 
the  end  of  this  campaign,  he  had  lost  three-fourths 
of  his  troops. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Great  Kabarda  did  not 
now  remain  any  longer  indifferent  spectators  of  the 
offensive  and  defensive  league  which  was  formed  by 
the  resolute  and  unconquerable  tribes  of  the  Cau- 
casus. They  united  with  them ;  and  when  the  Rus- 
sian troops,  in  the  next  campaign,  invaded  their  ter- 
ritories, the  Russian  general  found  the  whole  coun- 
try turned  into  a  desert,  all  the  inhabitants  having 
migrated  to  the  other  side  of  the  Laba,  and  joined 
their  warlike  neighbours.  And  thus,  until  the  pre- 
sent time,  all  the  successive  attempts  of  the  Russian 
potentate  to  subjugate  the  free  inhabitants  of  the 
Caucasus  have  been  unavailing.  At  the  death  of  Ni- 
cholas, after  thirty  years  of  disastrous  warfare,  these 
people  remained  as  free  as  when  his  unprincipled 
aggressions  first  began.  The  forts  of  Anapa  and 
Sudjuk-Kaleh  are  the  only  possessions  which  were 
held  by  the  autocrat  in  the  confines  of  the  territory 
in  which  he  had  waged  war  for  so  many  years,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  present  conflict  in  the  East. 
Since  then,  active  hostilities  in  the  Caucasus  have 

23* 


?70  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

been  suspended,  all  the  resources  and  the  interests 
of  the  czar  being  concentrated  upon  the  absorbing 
conflict  between  the  nations  now  progressing  in  the 
Crimea.  Prince  Schamyl  still  remains  the  free,  un- 
conquered,  temporal  and  spiritual  lord  of  the  East- 
ern Caucasus ;  and  still,  among  the  primeval  gorges 
and  hoary  forests  of  those  renowned  mountains,  he 
holds  his  mysterious  court,  marshals  his  heroic  Cir- 
cassians, sports  with  his  beautiful  Georgians,  and 
bids  defiance  to  the  mighty  arms  of  Russia,  upon 
which  he  alone  has  inflicted  the  first  reverses  which 
they  have  ever  suffered  in  the  East,  in  modern 
times. 

In  1844,  Nicholas  once  more,  and  for  the  last 
time,  visited  the  courts  and  countries  of  Western 
Europe.  In  the  several  capitals  which  he  honoured 
with  his  presence,  he  was  received  with  the  distin- 
guished consideration  which  was  due  to  his  exalted 
rank.  He  was  an  object  of  general  interest  wher- 
ever he  appeared.  His  vast  power,  his  historical 
importance,  his  magnificent  equipage,  and  his  lavish 
and  expensive  presents,  all  contributed  to  render 
him  the  object  of  universal  curiosity,  attention,  and 
admiration.  Especially  in  England,  the  handsome 
and  accomplished  czar  created  quite  a  sensation, 
both  in  the  public  mind,  and  more  particularly  in 
those  high  and  courtly  circles  in  which  he  moved  in 


OF  NICHOLAS  THE  FIRST.  271 

a  more  private  and  reserved  attitude.  By  those 
who  then  saw  him,  full  of  courtesy  and  urbanity,  his 
countenance  wreathed  in  smiles,  and  his  eye  beam- 
ing with  gayety  and  benignity,  it  seemed  impossible 
that  they  were  gazing  upon  the  most  powerful,  the 
most  dangerous,  and  the  most  unscrupulous  man  in 
Europe ;  a  man  on  account  of  whom,  at  that  very 
moment,  myriads  of  bitter  tears  were  falling,  and  the 
desolated  hearts  of  thousands  were  breaking,  amid 
the  horrid  mines  of  Siberia,  in  the  dangerous  moun- 
tains of  the  Caucasus,  or  in  the  dark  and  gloomy 
recesses  of  dungeons  and  prisons. 

In  his  private  interviews  with  the  English  minis- 
ters, Nicholas  clearly  expressed  those  views  respect- 
ing Turkey  which  he  then  pretended  to  entertain. 
He  said  to  Lord  Aberdeen,  at  that  time  premier 
of  England,  that  the  maintenance  of  the  sultan  in 
his  existing  independence,  and  in  the  extent  of  ter- 
ritory which  he  then  possessed,  was  a  great  object 
in  European  policy.  He  held,  that  in  order  thus  to 
maintain  them,  the  several  powers  should  abstain 
from  making  demands  on  the  sultan,  having  selfish 
purposes  in  view,  or  which  assumed  an  attitude  of 
arrogant  and  exclusive  dictation.  He  declared  that, 
in  case  the  sultan  gave  any  of  these  powers  y  st 
cause  of  complaint,  that  power  should  be  aided  by 
the  rest,  in  its  endeavours  to  have  that  cause  re- 


272  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

moved,  in  order  that  all  occasion  of  future  conflict 
might  be  obviated.  He  added,  that  in  the  event  of 
any  unforeseen  calamity  befalling  the  sultan,  Rus- 
sia and  England  should  agree  together ;  and  that  it 
would  be  wise  and  prudent  for  these  two  powers  to 
anticipate,  if  possible,  any  such  event,  and  to  arrive 
at  some  previous  arrangement  in  reference  to  it. 

Such  were  the  wise  and.  conciliatory  sentiments 
expressed  by  the  czar  during  his  visit  to  England. 
Ten  years  rolled  away,  and  his  opinions  and  policy 
had  changed  so  amazingly,  that  on  eveiy  point  they 
were  directly  the  opposite  of  those  uttered  by  him 
to  Lord  Aberdeen,  and  even  reiterated  in  a  formal 
memorandum  sent  by  the  czar  to  the  British  cabi- 
net, after  his  return  to  St.  Petersburg ;  thus,  as  it 
were,  putting  on  file  a  document  calculated  in  the 
most  direct  manner,  to  convict  himself  either  of  the 
most  barefaced  hypocrisy  and  deceit,  or  else  of  the 
most  despicable  vacillation  and  instability  of  prin- 
ciple and  of  purpose. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1846,  an  insurrec- 
tion broke  out  in  the  small  republic  of  Cracow. 
The  existence  and  independence  of  this  diminutive 
representative  of  ancient  Poland  had  been  esta- 
blished and  guaranteed  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna 
in  1815.  The  object  of  this  ill-advised  movement 
was  the  establishment  of  a  socialistic  order  of 


OF   NICHOLAS   T1IE   FIRST.  273 

tilings, — the  most  lamentable,  desperate,  and  ridi- 
culous remedy  ever  proposed  for  the  amelioration 
of  political  and  social  evils. 

The  revolutionists  declared,  in  their  published 
manifesto,  that  their  intentions  were  as  follows: — 
"Let  us  endeavour  to  establish  a  community,  in 
which  every  man  will  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
according  to  his  deserts  and  capacity.  Let  all  pri- 
vileges cease ;  and  let  those  who  are  inferior  in 
birth,  intelligence,  or  physical  strength,  obtain  with- 
out humiliation  the  unfailing  assistance  of  commun- 
ism, which  will  divide  among  all  the  absolute  pro- 
prietorship of  the  soil,  now  enjoyed  by  a  minority." 

This  revolution  was,  in  fact,  nothing  but  an  at- 
tempt on  the  part  of  the  poor  to  get  possession  of 
the  property  of  the  rich.  Accordingly,  the  pea- 
santry displayed  the  principles  which  actuated  them 
in  pillaging  and  burning  the  mansions  of  the  no- 
bles, in  murdering  their  wives  and  children,  and  in 
every  act  of  lawless  and  savage  depredation.  Such 
was  the  terror  inspired  by  an  army  of  two  thousand 
enraged  Galicians,  that  the  Austrian  general,  Collin, 
wLo  had  entered  Cracow  at  the  request  of  the  Senate, 
to  protect  the  community  from  the  outrages  of  the 
disaffected,  fled,  accompanied  by  many  of  the  most 
wealthy  citizens. 

Weisziewsky  was  then  appointed  dictator  by  the 


274  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

insurgents,  and  lie  made  some  feeble  preparations 
for  holding  possession  of  Cracow.  But  the  prin- 
cipal inhabitants  who  remained  opposed  his  move- 
ments in  every  way,  and  sent  a  deputation  to  treat 
with  the  Austrian  general.  While  negotiations 
were  progressing  between  these  parties,  Nicholas 
ordered  a  regiment  of  infantry,  accompanied  by 
Cossacks,  to  enter  the  city,  and  determine  the  dis- 
pute by  its  military  occupancy.  They  soon  obtained 
complete  ascendency  over  the  insurgents,  and  the 
revolution  was  at  an  end. 

Nicholas  regarded  this  outbreak  as  an  evidence, 
and  a  sudden  revelation,  of  a  widely  prevalent  spirit 
of  republicanism  and  of  revolution,  which  secretly 
pervaded  "Western  Europe,  and  even  portions  of  his 
own  empire.  This  was  the  same  movement  which, 
in  1848,  shook  all  the  thrones  and  dynasties  on  the 
continent  except  his  own.  On  the  llth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1846,  by  his  advice,  and  with  his  consent,  the 
city  and  republic  of  Cracow  were  formally  incorpo- 
rated into  the  Austrian  Empire.  Thus  was  wiped 
away  from  the  roll  of  nations,  the  last  remnant  of 
the  once  powerful  and  chivalrous  Poland.  And 
thus,  too,  did  Russian  monarchs  more  deeply  dye 
themselves  in  the  infamy  of  her  partition,  degrada- 
tion, and  ruin,  than  any  other ;  for  the  first  proposi- 
tion hostile  to  the  integrity  and  prosperity  of  Po- 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  '21~> 

land  emanated  from  Catherine  II.,  in  1763,  and  the 
last  act  of  despotic  power,  which  utterly  extin- 
guished her  existence  as  a  nation,  was  perpetrated 
by  her  successor,  Nicholas,  in  1846. 

In  1848,  a  revolution  against  the  authority  of  the 
sultan  broke  out  at  Bucharest ;  and,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  the  Russian  autocrat  embraced  the 
opportunity  to  promote  the  secret  ends  of  his  policy, 
while  pretending  to  interest  himself  only  for  the 
security  and  integrity  of  the  authority  of  the  sul- 
tan. He  published  a  manifesto,  dated  July,  1848, 
in  which  he  declared  that,  in  conjunction  with  the 
sultan,  he  would  "intervene"  in  the  settlement  of 
disturbances  in  the  insurgent  provinces,  in  order  to 
prevent  any  efforts  which  might  be  made  to  impair 
the  integrity  or  diminish  the  territories  of  the  Otto- 
man Empire.  The  revolution  was  of  insignificant 
consequence;  but  before  the  differences  were  ad- 
justed between  the  sultan  and  his  subjects,  by  the 
convention  of  Balta  Liman,  the  czar  had  succeeded 
in  obtruding  his  interests  so  prominently  into  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty,  that  he  not  only  convinced 
the  Sublime  Porte  that  he  was  determined  to  be  re- 
cognised as  a  party  in  interest,  nolens  vokns,  wher- 
ever the  sultan  and  his  claims  were  involved;  but 
actually  succeeded  in  securing,  by  the  treaty,  a  mili- 
tary position  of  great  importance  with  reference  to 


270  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

the  invasion  of  Hungary,  which  was  his  next  pro- 
-ject  of  ambition. 

An  opportunity  to  gratify  his  thirst  for  conquest 
and  continual  aggression, — and  also  the  last  one,  in 
which  the  great  autocrat  was  destined  to  be  suc- 
cessful,— was  afforded  him,  by  the  heroic  revolu- 
tion of  the  Hungarian  patriots  against  Austrian 
tyranny,  in  1849.  Terrified  by  the  magnitude  of 
the  forces  commanded  by  the  Hungarians,  and  bjr 
the  unity  and  heroism  displayed  by  the  whole  of 
that  chivalrous  nation  at  the  beginning  of  the 
revolution,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  eagerly  besought 
assistance  from  Nicholas.  The  invitation  was  as 
eagerly  accepted. 

In  May,  1849,  Nicholas  published  a  manifesto, 
in  which  he  held  the  following  language :  "  By 
our  manifesto  of  last  year,  we  informed  our  faith- 
ful subjects  of  the  evils  which  had  befallen  West- 
ern Europe.  "We  then  declared  our  resolution  to 
combat  the  enemies  of  order  wherever  they  might 

v 

be  found;  and  of  protecting  the  honour  of  the 
Russian  name,  and  the  inviolability  of  our  fron- 
tiers. Since  then,  disturbances  have  continued  in 
the  east  of  Europe,  in  the  principalities  adjoining 
our  empire, — in  Wallachia  and  Moldavia.  We 
have  occupied  those  provinces  with  our  troops, 
and  order  has  been  restored.  But  in  Hungary, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  277 

tlie  efforts  of  the  Austrian  government  have,  as 
yet,  proved  insufficient  to  crush  the  spirit  of  re- 
volt. In  the  midst  of  his  disasters,  the  Emperor 
of  Austria  has  invited  us  to  assist  him  against  the 
common  enemy.  We  cannot  refuse  to  render  him 
that  service.  After  having  invoked  the  G-od  of 
battles  to  protect  the  righteous  cause,  we  have 
ordered  our  armies  to  march  to  stifle  the  revolt, 
and  to  destroy  the  audacious  anarchists,  who  dis- 
turb the  repose  of  these  provinces.  Let  God  be 
with  us,  and  none  can  resist  us.  Such  are  not 
only  our  own  sentiments,  but  the  sentiments  of  all 
our  faithful  subjects." 

In  accordance  with  these  declarations,  Nicholas 
ordered  Marshal  Paskiewitch  to  advance  with  an 
army  of  100,000  men  upon  Hungary.  We  will  not 
narrate  the  details  of  the  memorable  battles  which 
ensued,  between  the  brave  Magyars  and  the  minions 
of  the  Russian  tyrant.  So  much  heroic  desperation 
was  exhibited  by  the  former,  that,  after  a  series  of 
bloody  conflicts,  in  which  both  Russians  and  Aus- 
trians  had  been  successively  worsted,  and  victory 
had  crowned  the  standards  of  the  patriots,  it  be- 
came probable  that  the  Russian  army  under  Paskie- 
witch would,  at  length,  have  been  annihilated,  had 
not  the  traitor  G6rgei,  immediately  on  his  acces- 
sion to  the  command  of  the  chief  army  of  the 

24 


278  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

Hungarians,  betrayed  his  sacred  trust.  On  the 
10th  of  August,  1849,  he  despatched  a  letter  to 
General  Riidiger,  stating  that  he  was  ready  to  lay 
down  his  arms  unconditionally.  Accordingly,  he 
delivered  into  the  hands  of  his  country's  implaca- 
ble foes  an  army  of  30,000  unconquered  veterans, 
with  one  hundred  and  forty  pieces  of  heavy  artil- 
lery. 

Immediately  after  this  inglorious  triumph  of  in- 
famy, perfidy,  and  cupidity,  on  both  sides,  Nicho- 
las proclaimed  another  manifesto,  containing  the 
following  exultant  sentiments :  "  Russia  will  fulfil 
her  holy  mission.  In  less  than  two  months  our 
brave  troops,  after  numerous  and  brilliant  victories 
in  Transylvania  and  under  the  walls  of  Debreczin, 
have  marched  triumphantly  from  Galicia  to  Pesth, 
from  Pesth  to  Arad,  and  from  Moldavia  to  the 
Banat.  The  insurgents,  conquered  on  every  side, 
have  laid  down  their  arms  before  the  Russian 
army,  and  begged  for  pardon.  Having  performed 
our  promise,  we  have  commanded  our  victorious 
troops  to  return  within  our  empire.  "With  grati- 
tude to  God,  we  exclaim  from  our  inmost  soul : — 
Nobiscum  Deus,  audite  populi  et  vincemini,  quia  nobis- 
cum  Deus!" 


-  , 


V*,     A 


• 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIIIST.  279 


CHAPTER  XXH. 

EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CRIMEA  —  CURRENT  OF  MODERN  EVENTS  — 
CATHERINE  II. — SHE  SUBJUGATES  THE  CRIMEA — ORIGIN  OF  SEVAS- 
TOPOL—  NICHOLAS  DETERMINES  TO  COMMENCE  THE  CONQUEST  OF 
TURKEY — HIS  SENTIMENTS  ON  THE  SUBJECT — HIS  PRETEXTS  ABOUT 
THE  HOLY  PLACES  IN  PALESTINE HIS  ULTIMATUM THE  RE- 
PRESENTATIVES OF  THE  POUR  POWERS  AT  VIENNA — THE  ULTI- 
MATISSIMUM  OF  NICHOLAS  —  IT  IS  REJECTED  BY  THE  TURKISH 

DIVAN DECLARATION    OF    WAR    BY    NICHOLAS HIS    TROOPS     ENTER 

THE     PRINCIPALITIES' — DECLARATION     OF    WAR     BY     THE      SULTAN 

OMAR    PACHA — FEELINGS     OF    THE     TURKISH     NATION     RESPECTING 
THE    WAR. 

IT  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  that  in  this 
nineteenth  century  the  .  mighty  tide  of  human 
events  is  rushing  back  again,  from  the  gold- 
burdened  climes  of  the  "West,  to  those  venerable 
scenes  and  landmarks  in  the  East,  which  were  re- 
nowned in  ancient  history  and  mythology;  but 
which,  for  some  ages  past,  have  escaped  the  scru- 
tiny, and  lost  the  interest,  of  mankind. 

Many  cycles  have  revolved  since  the  quiet  shores 
of  the  Euxine  became  the  scenes  of  war's  tumul- 
tuous agitation.  The  triumphant  legions  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  of  Mithridates,  and  of  Pompey, 


280  THE    LIFE    AND    11EIGN 

there  successively  discovered  a  congenial  resting- 
place  in  their  wearied  careers  of  conquest.  After- 
ward, the  ferocious  cohorts  of  Genghis  Khan  and 
Tamerlane,  having  devastated  vast  tracts  of  Asia, 
and  spread  desolation  over  half  a  continent,  found 
themselves  beneath  the  cool  shades  of  the  wooded 
vales  of  the  Crimea;  and  there  they  also  ceased 
their  march  of  triumph. 

In  this  same  region,  anciently  termed  the  Tauric 
Chersonesus,  Iphigenia,  the  beautiful  daughter  of 
Agamemnon,  having  fled  in  terror  to  escape  the 
cruel  execution  of  a  desperate  vow,  became  the 
high-priestess  of  her  chaste  protectress,  Diana; 
erected  a  splendid  temple  to  her  solemn  worship ; 
and  consecrated  the  land  forever  to  the  sublime  re- 
ligion and  philosophy  of  Greece.  And  afterward, 
as  age  after  age  revolved,  that  fertile  and  delicious 
clime  became,  successively,  the  prey  of  the  invad- 
ing Greeks,  the  Romans,  the  Goths,  the  Tartars, 
and  the  Turks.  At  length,  in  the  year  1774,  the 
Empress  Catherine  II.  of  Russia,  suddenly  arous- 
ing herself  from  the  voluptuous  embraces  of  her 
fawning  and  pampered  paramours,  cast  her  ambi- 
tious eyes  abroad  over  its  rich  valleys  and  fruit- 
covered  plains;  and  she  vowed  that  they  should 
become  incorporated  into  her  vast  empire.  For  a 
time  she  forgot,  or  at  least  suspended,  her  tender 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  281 

and  licentious  dalliances,  in  order  to  obey  the 
promptings  of  a  sterner  and  perhaps  a  nobler  pas- 
sion,— that  of  conquest  and  aggression.  The  policy 
which  she  adopted  was  the  one  to  which  the  Mus- 
covite sovereigns  have  ever  been  partial;  she  ex- 
tended her  protection  first,  she  imposed  her  jurisdic- 
tion and  supremacy  afterward.  She  first  induced 
the  khans  of  the  Crimea,  by  her  secret  emissaries, 
to  resist  the  Turkish  authority.  A  war  then  en- 
sued between  the  sultan  and  his  rebellious  sub- 
jects. The  Russian  empress  interfered;  and,  at 
length,  stipulated  for  the  independence  of  the 
Tartars  from  the  Turkish  yoke.  The  khans  being 
thus  free,  she  next  provoked  animosities  and  con- 
flicts between  them.  She  was  again  invited  to 
interpose.  She  complied  with  the  request  of  the 
khans;  took  their  causes  of  dispute  into  con- 
sideration; and  restored  peace  among  them,  by 
inducing  the  reigning  khan,  Sahim  Gheray,  to 
adopt  Russian  principles  of  government.  This  ex- 
cited the  rebellion  of  his  subjects,  as  Catherine 
intended  that  it  should ;  and  he  was  forced  to  ab- 
dicate the  throne.  He  was  then  dragged  as  a 
prisoner  to  an  obscure  Russian  town ;  was  delivered 
over  to  the  Turks,  and  finally  beheaded  by  them  at 
Rhodes.  Thus,  the  Crimea  being  left  without  a 
legitimate  master,  Russia  easily  assumed  the  sove- 

24* 


282  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

reign  power ;  and  this  lawless  assumption  Turkey 
was  at  last  compelled  to  confirm  and  recognise,  by 
the  solemn  treaty  of  1784. 

The  Crimea  being  thus  annexed  to  the  Russian 
Empire,  it  was  necessary  to  create  a  new  metropolis 
for  the  new  province.  Prince  Potempkin,  then  the 
minister  of  the  triumphant  empress,  settled  the  ques- 
tion of  the  location  of  the  capital,  after  a  peculiar 
fashion  of  his  own.  He  tossed  up  a  coin,  and  Sim- 
feropol, the  ancient  capital,  was  destined  still  to  re- 
tain that  dignity.  The  seat  of  the  new  government 
was  established  there ;  large  barracks  were  erected ; 
and  a  strong  garrison  was  placed  in  occupation  of 
the  works. 

But  still,  the  ambition  of  the  invincible  Catherine 
was  not  satiated.  Imperial  majesty  and  greatness 
were  without  an  adequate  representative  among  the 
cities  of  the  southern  extremity  of  her  dominions. 
She  must  possess  a  fortress  of  sufficient  magnitude 
to  defend  the  Crimea  from  external  attack,  and  as  a 
formidable  centre  for  her  own  future  aggression. 
The  old  and  obscure  town  of  Akhtiar  was  found  to 
offer  very  great  advantages  for  such  a  purpose. 
Immediately  an  army  of  workmen  were  ordered 
thither ;  and  enormous  works  were  at  once  begun. 
New  harbours  were  excavated.  Immense  arsenals 
were  built.  Colossal  fortresses  were  constructed. 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  283 

Vast  quantities  of  the  munitions  of  war  were  accu- 
mulated. All  the  resources  then  possessed  by  the 
art  of  engineering  were  exhausted  in  the  defence 
of  the  place,  and  in  the  construction  of  its  works. 
A  powerful  and  permanent  garrison  was  stationed 
there,  to  overawe  the  sultan,  and  to  protect  Russian 
commerce  in  the  Black  Sea  and  the  Dardanelles. 
And  this  new  bulwark  of  Russian  power,  this  grim 
portend  of  coming  aggression,  was  then  called  Se- 
vastopol,— a  name  which  has  since  fallen  heir  to  a 
world-wide,  but  an  unfortunate  celebrity.  And  soon 
the  balmy  shores  of  the  Crimea  became  studded 
with  the  splendid  palaces  and  sumptuous  retreats 
of  the  nobility  of  the  Russian  capital ;  who  became 
enamoured  of  its  balmy  skies,  its  delicious  atmo- 
sphere, its  fertile  plains,  and  its  beautiful  scenery. 

Nicholas  I.  had  occupied  the  throne  of  the  czars 
for  nearly  thirty  years,  when  he  seems  to  have  come 
to  the  conclusion,  that  the  period  had  at  length  ar- 
rived, when  he  should  realize  the  glorious  and 
crowning  project  of  his  life  and  ambition, — the 
final  and  complete  subjugation  of  the  throne  of  the 
Sultans  to  his  own,  and  the  incorporation  of  the 
European  empire  of  the  infidels  into  that  of  the 
orthodox  believers. 

That  was  in  truth  a  sublime  spectacle,  pre- 
sented by  the  powerful  czar,  as,  seated  in  his 


284  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

northern  capital,  lie  deliberately  contemplated  the 
achievement  of  this  vast  enterprise.  That  he  never 
for  a  moment  doubted  the  certainty  of  his  complete 
success,  will  readily  be  admitted  by  all  who  are  fa- 
miliar with  the  stern  character  of  Nicholas,  with  the 
imbecility  of  the  sultan,  and  with  the  relative  phy- 
sical forces  of  their  two  empires.  And  this  gor- 
geous dream  of  Oriental  conquest  was  the  same 
which  had  once  fired  the  imagination  of  the  aspiring 
Catherine;  but  which  her  sudden  death  had  pre- 
vented her  from  attempting  to  realize.  Alexander 
I.  had  been  diverted  from  it,  by  his  terrible  conflicts 
with  Napoleon.  And  now  Nicholas,  not  less  ambi- 
tious, and  more  powerful,  than  either,  determined 
to  emulate  the  fame  of  the  Great  Peter,  the  first 
founder  of  the  empire,  by  himself  deserving  the 
equal  title  of  its  second,  by  adding  to  it  the  vast 
conquests  which  his  triumphant  arms  would  make, 
over  the  patrimony  of  the  descendants  of  the  False 
Prophet. 

Never  had  a  more  gorgeous  conception  than  this, 
inflamed  the  imagination,  and  elicited  the  abilities, 
of  a  conqueror.  It  would  have  thrown  a  halo  of 
transcendent  glory  around  his  name,  had  he  been 
the  ultimate  vanquisher  of  that  once  formidable 
and  sanguinary  power,  which  for  so  many  ages  had 
disturbed  the  repose  of  Christendom;  which  had 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  285 

crushed  the  stately  republic  of  Venice;  which  had 
assaulted  the  bulwarks  of  Vienna ;  which  had  de- 
solated the  commerce  of  the  Mediterranean ;  and 
which  had  inflicted  on  so  many  myriads  of  unfor- 
tunate believers  the  horrors  of  a  captivity  far  worse 
than  death  itself.  And  had  the  czar  been  able  to 
realize  this  stupendous  scheme  of  conquest,  his  con- 
solidated empire  would  then  indeed  have  been  more 
colossal  than  any  other  which  has  ever  existed; 
than  that  of  Alexander  the  Great,  than  that  of 
Charlemagne,  than  that  even  of  Napoleon  I. 

Preparatory  to  commencing  this  vast  project,  Ni- 
cholas endeavoured  to  cajole  and  deceive  the  British 
government,  either  into  active  co-operation  with 
him,  or  into  a  passive  indifference  to  his  measures. 
He  took  occasion  to  express  his  feigned  sentiments 
of  amity  toward  England,  to  the  English  ambassa- 
dor then  at  his  court,  Sir  H.  Seymour,  in  February, 
1854.  Said  he :  "It  is  very  essential  that  the  Eng- 
lish government  and  I  should  be  on  the  best  terms; 
and  the  necessity  was  never  greater  than  at  present. 
I  beg  you  to  convey  these  words  to  Lord  John  Rus- 
sel.  As  long  as  we  are  agreed,  I  am  quite  indif- 
ferent as  to  the  rest  of  Europe."  "It  instantly 
occurred  to  me,"  continued  Sir  II.  Seymour  in  re- 
ference to  this  conversation,  "that  it  was  incom- 
plete, and  I  determined  to  inquire  more  particularly 


286  THE    LIFE   AND    EEIGN 

into  his  views.  I  therefore  said  to  his  majesty, 
'Permit  me  to  take  a  great  liberty.'  'Certainly; 
let  me  hear  what  it  is.'  I  observed  to  him  that  I 
should  be  particularly  glad  if  his  majesty  would  add 
a  few  words  which  would  tend  to  Calm  the  anxiety 
with  regard  to  the  affairs  of  Turkey,  which  existed 
in  England.  Said  Nicholas  :  '  The  affairs  of  Turkey 
are  in  a  very  disorganized  condition.  The  country 
indeed  seems  to  be  going  to  ruin,  (menace  mine;) 
its  fall  will  be  a  great  misfortune,  and  it  is  very  im- 
portant that  England  and  Russia  should  come  to  a 
perfectly  good  understanding  upon  these  affairs. 
"We  have  on  our  hands  a  sick  man, — a  very  sick 
man.  It  will  be  a  great  misfortune,  if  one  of  these 
days,  he  should  slip  away  from  us.'"* 

On  a  subsequent  occasion,  Nicholas  observed  to 
Sir  H.  Seymour,  "You  know  the  dreams  and  plans 
in  which  the  Empress  Catherine  was  in  the  habit  of 
indulging.  These  were  handed  down  to  our  time ; 
but,  while  I  inherited  her  immense  territorial  pos- 
sessions, I  did  not  inherit  those  visions,  and  her  in- 
tentions. On  the  contrary,  my  country  is  so  vast, 
so  happily  circumstanced  in  every  way,  that  it  would 


*  "Nous  ayons  sur  les  bras  un  homme  malade, — un  homme  yrave- 
ment  malade ;  ce  sera  un  grand  malheur  si,  un  de  ces  jours,  il  devait 
nous  6chapper ;  surtout  avant  quo  toutes  les  dispositions  ne"cessaire3 
fusscnt  prises,"  &c. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.       .  287 

be  unreasonable  in  me  to  desire  more  power  than  I 
already  possess.  But  in  Turkey,  there  are  several 
millions  of  Greek  Christians,  whose  interests  I  am 
called  upon  to  watch  over,  (surveiller,)  while  my 
right  to  do  so  is  secured  to  me  by  treaty.  I  may 
truly  say,  that  I  make  a  very  moderate  and  sparing 
use  of  my  right;  and  it  is  one  which  is  attended 
with  obligations,  which  are  occasionally  very  incon- 
venient. But  I  cannot  recede  from  the  discharge  of 
a  distinct  duty." 

In  succeeding  interviews,  Nicholas  continued  to 
reiterate  similar  sentiments  to  Sir  H.  Seymour.  He 
attempted  to  infuse,  through  him,  into  the  British 
cabinet,  a  spirit  of  aggression  similar  to  his  own. 
Hence  he  said :  "  In  the  event  of  a  dissolution  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  it  would  be  less  difficult  to  arrive 
at  a  satisfactory  arrangement,  than  was  usually 
believed.  The  principalities  of  Wallachia  and  Mol- 
davia would  remain,  as  they  now  are,  an  inde- 
pendent state  under  my  protection.  Servia  might 
receive  the  same  form  of  government.  So  also 
Bulgaria.  As  to  Egypt,  if  England  should  take 
possession  of  that  province,  I  shall  have  no  objec- 
tions to  offer.  I  would  say  the  same  in  reference  to 
Candia.  There  is  no  reason,  why  England  should 
not  possess  it  also."  The  English  minister  did  not 
seem  to  receive  this  proposition  with  the  enthusiasm 


288  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

which  the  czar  expected,  and  the  latter  continued: 
"If  England  ever  thinks  of  establishing  herself  at 
Constantinople,  I  will  not  allow  it;  while  on  the 
contrary,  if  no  other  provision  were  made,  circum- 
stances might  place  me  in  the  position  of  occupying 
Constantinople.  You  see  how  I  am  now  behaving 
toward  the  sultan.  This  gentleman  (ce  monsieur) 
breaks  his  written  word  to  me,  and  acts  in  a  manner 
extremely  displeasing  to  me;  and  yet  I  have  con- 
tented myself  with  despatching  an  ambassador  to 
Constantinople  to  demand  reparation.  I  could  cer- 
tainly have  sent  an  army  there,  if  I  chose.  There  is 
nothing  to  hinder  me ;  but  I  have  merely  contented 
myself  with  such  a  show  of  force,  as  will  prove,  that 
I  do  not  intend  to  be  trifled  with."* 

*  We  append  one  of  the  letters  addressed  to  the  British  minister  to 
his  cabinet  at  home,  as  setting  forth  more  clearly  the  peculiar  senti- 
ments entertained  at  that  time  by  the  czar,  in  reference  to  the  dis- 
memberment of  Turkey : — 

SIR  O.  H.  SBYMOUK  TO  THE  EARL  OF  CLARENDON. 

[Secret  and  confidential.] 

ST.  PETERSBURG,  April  20, 1853. 

The  emperor,  on  rising  from  the  table  when  I  had  the  honour  of 
dining  at  the  palace  on  the  18th  instant,  desired  me  to  follow  him  into 
the  next  room. 

His  majesty  then  said  that  he  wished  to  state  to  me  the  real  and 
sincere  satisfaction  which  he  received  from  your  lordship's  despatch, 
marked  "  secret  and  confidential,"  of  the  23d  ultimo. 

It  had  been,  his  majesty  said,  most  agreeable  to  him  to  find  that 
the  overtures  which  he  had  addressed  to  her  majesty's  government 
had  been  responded  to  in  the  same  friendly  spirit  in  which  they  were 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  289 

The  aspiring  emperor  soon  discovered,  however, 
that  England  would  not  only  not  become  a  party  to 
his  plans  of  lawless  aggression  upon  the  sultan,  but 
that  she  would  not  stand  by  quietly,  while  "the  sick 
man"  was  attacked,  despoiled,  and  ruined,  by  his 
more  vigorous  and  ambitious  neighbour. 

A  pretext  for  commencing  open  hostilities  with 
the  sultan  was  necessary;  and  the  acute  Nicholas 
was  not  very  long  in  finding  one. 

made ;  that,  to  use  a  former  expression,  there  was  nothing  in  which 
he  placed  so  much  reliance  as  "  la  parole  (fun  gentilhomme ;"  that  he 
felt  that  the  relations  of  the  two  courts  stood  upon  a  better  basis,  now 
that  a  clear  understanding  had  been  obtained  as  to  points  which,  if  left 
in  doubt,  might  have  been  productive  of  misintelligence,  and,  as  his 
majesty  was  pleased  to  add,  he  felt  obliged  to  me  for  having  con- 
tributed toward  bringing  about  this  friendly  entente. 

And  his  majesty  said,  "  I  beg  you  to  understand  that  what  I  have 
pledged  myself  to  do  will  be  equally  binding  on  my  successor ;  there 
now  exist  memorandums  of  my  intentions,  and  whatever  I  have 
promised,  my  son,  if  the  changes  alluded  to  should  occur  in  his  time, 
would  be  as  ready  to  perform  as  his  father  would  have  been." 

The  emperor  proceeded  to  state  that  he  would  very  frankly  offer  an 
observation  or  two,  it  might  be  a  criticism,  on  your  lordship's  despatch. 

The  despatch  spoke  of  the  fall  of  the  Turkish  Empire  as  an  uncer- 
tain and  distant  event.  He  would  remark  that  the  one  term  excluded 
the  other;  uncertain  it  was,  certainly,  but,  for  that  reason,  not  ne- 
cessarily remote.  He  desired  it  might  be,  but  he  was  not  sure  that  it 
might  so  prove. 

His  majesty  desired  further  to  observe,  that  he  could  not  doubt 
that  her  majesty's  government  had  taken  too  favourable  a  view  of  the 
state  of  the  Christian  population  in  Turkey;  the  sultan  might  have 
intended  to  better  their  condition,  might  have  given  orders  in  that 
sense,  but  he  was  quite  certain  that  his  commands  had  not  been 
attended  to. 

25 


290  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

In  1850,  the  French  ambassador  at  Constantinople 
had  been  instructed  to  inquire  into  certain  alleged 
grievances  which  were  inflicted  upon  the  Latin  or 
Roman  Christians  in  Palestine.  The  sultan,  on  re- 
ceiving the  communication  of  the  French  ambas- 
sador General  Aupich  on  the  subject,  immediately 
appointed  a  commission  to  investigate  the  grounds 
of  complaint.  This  commission  declared,  after  the 
necessary  examination,  that  the  Latins  were  entitled 
to  the  guardianship  of  the  "Holy  Places"  in  ques- 
tion, inasmuch  as  they  had  been  formerly  named  in 
a  firman  which  the  sultan  had  granted  to  that 
church,  or  entitled  to  that  trust. 

Here  then  was  the  desired  pretext,  for  which  the 
czar  so  eagerly  searched.  He  immediately  wrote  to 
the  sultan,  Abd-ul-Medjid,  insisting  that  the  privi- 
leges of  the  Greek  Christians  in  Palestine  had  been 
invaded ;  and  requiring  that  the  custody  of  the  Holy 
Places  should  be  withdrawn  from  the  Latins,  and 
intrusted  to  the  Greeks.  The  sultan,  on  receiving 
this  portentous  epistle  from  the  czar,  was  terrified. 
He  immediately  annulled  the  proceedings  of  the 
commission,  and  appointed  another  to  take  the  same 
matter  into  consideration.  This  commission  at- 
tempted to  obviate  all  causes  of  dispute,  and  re- 
ported in  favour  of  allowing  the  Greek  and  Latin 
Christians  to  have  equal  access  and  right  to  the 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  291 

great  Cupola  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre;  and  that  the 
Latins  should  have  access  to  the  Tomb  of  the  Virgin, 
and  a  key  to  the  Church  of  Bethlehem. 

To  this  very  reasonable  arrangement  the  French 
government  acceded ;  and  here  would  have  been  an 
end  of  all  difficulty  so  far  as  everybody  was  con- 
cerned, excepting  the  czar.  But  he  did  not  entertain 
the  remotest  idea  of  being  satisfied  with  any  thing ; 
no  concession,  however  fair  and  reasonable,  would 
have  been  received  by  him,  as  a  final  adjustment  of 
the  dangerous  and  unhappy  dispute.  "With  the  most 
despicable  duplicity  and  dishonesty,  he  directed  his 
ambassador  to  insist,  that  the  key  which  the  Latins 
were  to  possess,  should  be  that  of  a  side  door  only; 
and  that  the  promulgation  of  the  decree  of  the  sultan 
should  be  read  in  Jerusalem  in  the  most  public  man- 
ner, and  then  announced  throughout  the  Turkish 
dominions.  To  these  absurd  demands,  the  sultan 
showed  an  unexpected  and  a  spirited  resistance. 
He  was  inflexible  in  reference  to  the  important 
matter  of  the  key ;  and  the  entrance  to  the  Grand 
Door  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  was 
formally  intrusted  to  the  Latin  monks. 

Nicholas  pretended  to  be  incensed  at  the  stubborn- 
ness of  the  sultan,  and  his  resistance  to  his  just 
demands ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1853,  he  announced 
that  he  was  about  to  send  to  Constantinople  an  ex- 


292  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

traordinary  ambassador  of  high  rank,  commissioned 
to  set  forth  in  full  the  demands  of  the  czar.  On  the 
1st  of  March  accordingly,  Prince  Menschikoff  arrived 
in  Constantinople;  and  the  very  next  day  demanded 
and  received  an  audience  with  the  sultan.  This 
very  first  procedure  was  an  insult  to  the  Ottoman 
court  and  sovereign;  inasmuch  as  diplomatic  eti- 
quette imperatively  demanded,  that  he  should  first 
have  had  an  interview  with  the  minister  for  foreign 
affairs.  A  month  passed  away,  in  arrogant  and  un- 
reasonable assumptions  on  the  one  side,  and  in  vain 
attempt  at  conciliation  and  arrangement  on  the 
other.  At  length,  on  the  5th  of  May,  Prince  Men- 
schikoff announced  to  the  Divan,  that  he  had  received 
the  ultimatum  of  the  czar,  the  acceptance  of  which 
on  the  part  of  the  sultan,  would  prevent  any  further 
difficulties  in  future.  This  ultimatum  was  in  sub- 
stance a  demand,  that  the  sultan  should  acknow- 
ledge a  Russian  protectorate  over  all  the  Greek  sub- 
jects of  the  Ottoman  Empire, — a  concession  which 
would  have  been  equivalent  to  establishing  a  Rus- 
sian supremacy  over  two-thirds  of  the  population  of 
the  Turkish  dominions.  Menschikoff  allowed  the 
sultan  twelve  days  for  the  acceptance  of  this  in- 
famous proposition. 

So  great  was  the  terror  excited  at  Constantinople 
when  this  demand  of  the  czar  first  became  known, 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  293 

that  the  whole  Turkish  ministry  resigned,  as  being 
unable  to  direct  the  counsels  of  the  sultan  in  this 
trying  emergency.  A  new  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  Reschid  Pacha,  was  appointed,  who  pos- 
sessed a  spirit  of  greater  intrepidity ;  and  under  his 
advice  the  sultan  determined,  at  last,  to  raise  his 
head,  to  look  boldly  and  defiantly  at  his  deadly  foe, 
and  resolutely  to  resist  his  perfidious  and  endless 
encroachments.  The  Divan  declared  that  they  re- 
fused to  accept  the  ultimatum  thus  offered  them  by 
the  czar. 

Such  prompt  resistance  seems  to  have  surprised 
Nicholas;  and  as  he  wished  to  gain  time  for  the 
purpose  of  concentrating  his  armies  on  the  Danube, 
to  be  ready  to  strike  a  decisive  blow,  he  ordered 
Menschikoff  to  offer  another  proposition,  adroitly 
termed  his  ultimatissimum,  which  was  in  substance 
the  same  as. that  which  had  been  previously  pro- 
posed. This  was  also  as  indignantly  rejected  as  the 
former  one ;  and  Menschikoff  immediately  departed 
for  St.  Petersburg. 

At  this  juncture,  England,  France,  Prussia,  and 
Austria,  conceived  that  it  was  high  time  for  them  to 
interfere,  to  preserve  the  balance  of  power  in  the 
East,  to  support  the  trembling  sultan,  and  to  curb 
the  irate  arid  ambitious  czar.  In  June,  1853,  their 

representatives  met  at  Vienna,  and  after  some  con- 

25* 


294  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

sideration,  they  prepared  a  document,  which  they 
thought  might  settle  the  difficulty. 

The  propositions  contained  in  this  document  were 
immediately  accepted  by  Nicholas.  Was  it  because 
he-  was  disposed  to  terms  of  peace  ?  By  no  means. 
It  was  because  the  language  of  the  document  framed 
by  the  representatives  of  the  four  Powers,  was  so 
vague,  loose,  and  obscure,  that  an  ample  scope  was 
allowed  for  perfidy  to  misconstrue  its  terms.  Re- 
schid  Pacha  clearly  perceived  this  secret,  and  as 
clearly  pointed  it  out  to  those  who  framed  it.  The 
consequence  was  that,  being  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  animadversions  of  the  Turkish  statesman, 
they  drew  up  another  statement,  more  explicitly 
and  clearly  worded.  This  they  transmitted  to  Ni- 
cholas, as  the  ultimatum  of  the  four  Powers.  This 
document,  and  the  propositions  which  it  contained, 
Nicholas  rejected  as  peremptorily  as  he  had  accepted 
the  preceding  one;  thus  clearly  exposing  his  true 
purposes  in  reference  to  the  proposed  conciliation. 

Accordingly,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1853,  Nicholas 
issued  a  manifesto,  in  which  he  announced  his  in- 
tention of  seizing  the  principalities  of  Wallachia 
and  Moldavia,  as  material  guarantees  that  the  sultan 
would  eventually  accede  to  his  demands.  On  the 
2d  of  July,  General  Dannenberg  crossed  the  Pruth, 
the  ancient  boundary  between  Russia  and  Turkey, 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  295 

and  entered  Moldavia.  This  movement  was  re- 
garded by  the  sultan  as  a  declaration  of  war ;  and 
on  the  5th  of  October,  the  Ottoman  sovereign,  on 
his  part,  signed  a  declaration  of  hostilities  against 
Russia.  Omar  Pacha,  the  ablest  and  most  renowned 
of  the  Turkish  generals,  who  by  the  force  of  his 
talents  had  raised  himself  to  the  highest  military 
offices  of  the  state,  was  appointed  generalissimo  of 
the  Turkish  forces.  He  at  once  despatched  a  note 
to  the  Russian  commander,  allowing  him  fifteen 
days  during  which  to  evacuate  the  principalities. 

The  heroic  resolution  displayed  by  the  sultan,  in 
thus  bidding  defiance  to  the  prodigious  power  of  the 
arrogant  Muscovite,  called  forth  the  acclamations 
of  his  own  subjects,  and  excited  the  admiration  of 
Europe.  The  spirit  of  the  Turkish  people  seemed 
to  have  been  rejuvenated,  and  new  life  to  inflame 
their  sluggish  blood.  The  multitudes  who  crowded 
the  streets,  the  priests  of  the  sacred  colleges,  the 
muezzins  in  the  mosques,  the  army,  the  wealthy 
commercial  classes — all  appeared  to  be  aroused  to 
make  a  determined  and  resolute  resistance  against 
the  encroachments  of  that  great  foe,  who  had  in- 
sulted their  religion,  who  had  thrown  contempt  on 
their  sovereign,  who  had  outraged  the  usages  of 
their  court,  and  who  had  presumed  to  make  de- 
mands which  evinced  his  settled  purpose  of  effect- 


296  THE   LIFE    AND    REIGN      . 

ing  the  ruin  of  the  ancient  empire  of  the  faithful. 
That  warlike  energy,  which  had  once  made  the 
name  of  the  Turk  a  sound  of  terror  throughout 
Europe,  after  the  ignoble  sleep  of  centuries  now 
seemed  to  he  aroused  again,  in  all  its  pristine 
vigour;  and  to  challenge  the  giant  of  the  north 
once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  to  a  desperate 
conflict  of  life  or  of  death. 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  297 


CHAPTER 


MANIFESTO  OF  NICHOLAS  RESPECTING  THE  WAR  —  BATTLE  OF  TURTU- 
KAI  -  DESTBUCTION  OF  THE  TURKISH  FLEET  AT  SINOPE  -  EXULTATION 
OF  THE  CZAR  -  VICTORY  OF  THE  TURKS  AT  CITATE  -  DECLARATION  OF 
WAR  BY  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE  -  THE  ALLIED  ARMY  AND  GENERALS  - 
CELEBRATED  SIEGE  OF  SILISTRIA  -  MEMORABLE  TRIUMPH  OF  THK 
TURKS. 

NICHOLAS  was  very  much  surprised  at  the  "unex- 
pected resistance  to  his  demands  thus  made  by  the 
sultan.  He  immediately  published  a  manifesto,  full 
of  the  most  false  and  unfair  insinuations,  intended 
to  throw  the  odium  of  the  impending  conflict  on  the 
Ottoman  ruler. 

In  this  manifesto  he  displays  the  usual  duplicity 
of  his  character.  Says  he  :  "  The  chief  powers  of 
Europe  have  sought-in  vain  by  their  exhortations  to 
shake  the  blind  obstinacy  of  the  Ottoman  govern- 
ment. It  is  by  a  declaration  of  war,  by  a  proclama- 
tion filled  with  lying  accusations  against  Russia, 
that  it  has  responded  to  the  pacific  efforts  of  Europe, 
as  well  as  to  our  own  spirit  of  long-suffering.  At 
last,  enrolling  in  the  ranks  of  its  army  revolutionary 
exiles  from  all  countries,  the  Porte  has  just  com- 


298  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

menced  hostilities  on  the  Danube.  Russia  is  chal- 
lenged to  the  combat ;  and  she  has  no  other  course 
left  her,  than,  putting  her  trust  in  God,  to  have  re- 
course to  force  of  arms,  and  so  compel  the  Ottoman 
government  to  respect  treaties,  and  to  obtain  repa- 
ration for  the  insults  with  which  it  has  responded  to 
our  most  moderate  demands.  We  are  firmly  con- 
vinced that  our  faithful  subjects  will  join  their 
prayers  with  ours  to  the  Almighty,  beseeching  him 
to  bless  our  arms  in  this  just  and  holy  cause,  which 
has  always  found  ardent  defenders  in  our  own  an- 
cestors. In  fe,  Domine,  speravi;  non  confundar  in 
ceternum." 

Never  was  a  more  false,  a  more  specious,  or  a 
more  perfidious  proclamation  issued  by  any  sove- 
reign, when  seeking  for  a  rotten  subterfuge  where- 
with to  hide  the  enormity  of  the  most  unjust  and 
unprincipled  aggressions. 

The  fifteen  days  permitted  by  Omar  Pacha  to 
intervene,  for  the  purpose  of  allowing  the  Russian 
troops  to  evacuate  the  provinces,  had  transpired ; 
and  the  latter  had,  of  course,  maintained  their  posi- 
tion. The  Ottoman  general  immediately  concen- 
trated 120,000  troops  along  the  line,  four  hundred 
miles  in  extent,  which  it  was  his  duty  to  defend. 
He  established  Shumla  as  his  head-quarters,  in  the 
centre.  On  the  extreme  left  he  seized  the  fortress 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  299 

of  Kalafat.  He  made  Rustchuk  and  Silistria  the 
keys  to  the  centre  of  his  position ;  and  Galatz,  on 
the  extreme  right,  was  protected  by  the  deadly 
marshes  of  Dobrudscha. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  1853,  the  first  detach- 
ment of  Turkish  troops  crossed  the  Danube  at  Tur- 
tukai,  and  threw  up  earthworks  to  protect  their 
position.  They  were  immediately  attacked  by  four 
columns  of  Russian  troops,  consisting  of  8000  men. 
They  were  repulsed  with  a  severe  loss  by  the  Turks. 
The  next  day  the  Russians  resumed  the  attack,  and 
made  a  furious  assault  with  30,000  men  on  the 
Turkish  position,  which  had  been  reinforced  so  as 
to  contain  18,000.  The  Russian  columns  advanced 
with  great  confidence,  in  defiance  of  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  Turkish  guns  from  the  opposite  banks, 
and  a  brisk  discharge  of  musketry  from  the  troops 
stationed  in  the  works.  The  ground  was  soon 
covered  with  the  dead  and  dying  Russians ;  and 
still  their  winnowed  columns  advanced  steadily, 
and  approached  the  redoubts.  This  was  the  mo- 
ment anxiously  waited  for  by  Omar  Pasha.  He 
ordered  his  whole  line  to  leap  over  the  works,  and 
to  charge  the  advancing  columns.  The  Turks  exe- 
cuted the  order  with  prodigious  vigour.  They 
fought  hand  to  hand  with  the  foe  with  their  ancient 
ferocity.  It  was  the  first  battle  of  this  memorable 


300  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

war,  and  the  first  opportunity  which  the  Turks  had 
obtained,  of  wreaking  vengeance  on  the  insulters 
and  invaders  of  their  country.  The  effect  of  the 
Turkish  onslaught  was  tremendous.  The  Russian 
columns  wavered,  then  broke,  then  fled.  The  rout 
was  complete.  The  Russians  lost  on  the  field  a 
thousand  men;  the  Turks  lost  thirty. 

A  few  days  after  this  conflict  Omar  Pacha  ap- 
peared suddenly,  with  his  whole  army,  three  hun- 
dred miles  distant,  at  Matschin,  in  the  fatal  region 
of  the  Dobrudscha,  and  repulsed  the  Russians,  who 
were  advancing  into  that  district.  The  benefit  of 
this  achievement  was,  that  the  rapidity  and  un- 
certainty of  movement  which  it  displayed  struck 
astonishment  and  terror  into  the  minds  of  the 
Russian  leaders.  They  were  not  prepared  to  see 
such  rare  displays  of  military  and  strategic  skill, 
which  utterly  confused  their  own  settled  plans  of 
the  campaign. 

But  the  czar  and  his  troops  were  destined,  at 
this  stage  of  the  conflict,  to  obtain  at  least  one 
triumph  over  the  foe,  though  it  was  indeed  an  igno- 
ble one,  and  shed  far  more  infamy  than  glory  over 
the  Russian  arms.  This  was  the  sudden  attack,  on 
the  30th  of  November,  on  thirteen  Turkish  vessels, 
which  were  lying  quietly  in  the  harbour  of  Sinope, 
by  a  Russian  fleet,  consisting  of  six  men-of-war 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  801 

and  some  smaller  vessels.  These,  taking  advantage 
of  a  heavy  fog,  had  darted  out  from  the  port  of 
Sevastopol,  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Nachi- 
moff.  The  Turks  were  taken  entirely  by  surprise ; 
were  entirely  unprepared  for  battle ;  yet  they  fought 
bravely.  But  the  conflict  was  so  unequal  in  advan- 
tages, that  5000  Turks  were  soon  massacred ;  their 
whole  fleet,  except  two  transports,  was  utterly  de- 
stroyed, and  the  Turkish  admiral,  Osman  Pacha, 
was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  He  was  removed 
to  Sevastopol,  where,  after  six  weeks  of  suffering, 
he  expired.  A  few  Turks,  swimming  to  land, 
clambered  over  the  heights,  and  escaped.  The 
feeble  battery  of  Sinope  was  unable  to  aid  the 
Turks;  for  their  guns  were  almost  unfit  for  use, 
and,  when  they  did  fire,  their  untimely  shot  fell 
short  of  the  mark,  and  struck  among  the  vessels 
which  they  were  intended  to  protect.  The  news 
of  this  victory,  and  ferocious  massacre,  as  it  was 
pictured  forth  and  exaggerated  by  the  Russians, 
electrified  Europe.  At  St.  Petersburg,  Nicholas  dis- 
tributed decorations  among  his  successful  officers, 
and  ordered  Te  Deums  to  be  chanted  in  all  the 
churches  throughout  his  empire.  The  civilized 
world  censured  this  attack  as  a  wanton  and  unjusti- 
fiable massacre,  which  reflected  much  more  disgrace 
than  glory  on  the  arms  of  the  exultant  czar. 

26 


302  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

* 

On  the  Danube,  events  were  not  so  favourable  to 
the  Russians.  Omar  Pacha  had  not  intended  to 
remain  in  the  marshes  of  the  Dobrudscha,  but  per- 
mitted the  enemy  to  advance  to  a  certain  distance. 
The  Russian  corps  d'armee,  under  General  Osten 
Sacken,  were  the  unfortunate  detachments  which 
entered  the  Dobrudscha;  and,  during  the  several 
succeeding  months,  30,000  Russians  perished  from 
the  fatal  diseases  which  hover  over  those  marshes, 
which  lie  in  a  watery  district  formed  by  the  bend  of 
the  Danube,  some  thirty  miles  in  length,  when  near 
the  points  of  its  discharge  into  the  Euxine  Sea. 

The  campaign  of  1853  was  closed  by  the  bril- 
liant victory  of  the  Turks  at  Citate.  General  Fish- 
bach  was  ordered  by  Nicholas  to  advance  with  a 
large  division  of  the  Russian  army  to  the  siege  of 
Kalafat.  Achmet  Pacha,  the  commandant  of  the 
fortress  of  Kalafat,  determined  not  to  await  the 
arrival  of  the  Russian  army;  for  the  longer  he 
delayed  the  more  reinforcements  the  latter  re- 
ceived. He,  therefore,  marched  out  of  his  works, 
and  advanced  to  meet  Fishbach  at  Citate,  with 
10,000  infantry,  4000  cavalry,  15  field-pieces,  and 
1000  irregular  troops.  The  Russians  numbered 
16,000.  A  furious  battle  ensued;  in  which,  after 
four  hours  of  conflict,  during  which  both  sides  fought 
with  sanguinary  desperation,  the  victory  remained 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  303 

t 

with  the  Turks.  About  2400  Russians  were  left 
dead  in  the  streets  and  field-works,  2400  were 
wounded,  and  they  lost  their  dep6ts  of  ammuni- 
tion and  arms.  The  Turks  had  only  1000  killed 
and  wounded.  During  two  succeeding  days  the 
Russians  endeavoured  to  take  the  place;  but  all 
their  exertions  proved  unavailing.  The  Turks  even 
advanced,  and  drove  the  Russians  before  them  as 
far  as  Krajova;  then  returned  again,  and  re-entered 
Kalafat  in  triumph. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Citate,  which  caused  Eu- 
rope to  exult  at  the  fortitude  of  the  Turks,  and 
which  filled  the  haughty  czar  with  astonishment, 
not  unmingled  with  indignation  and  disgust. 

These  stirring  incidents  in  the  war — which  had 
now  fairly  and  fully  commenced  between  the  Rus- 
sian and  Ottoman  rulers — had  thoroughly  aroused 
the  cabinets  of  England  and  France  to  the  neces- 
sity of  interfering  in  thev  contest,  and  taking  part 
with  the  weaker,  but  the  more  just  and  heroic, 
side.  England  declared  war  against  Russia  on  the 
28th  of  March,  1854 ;  Nicholas  having  rejected  the 
ultimatum  proposed  by  the  English  cabinet,  with 
the  haughty  and  contemptuous  remark:  "These 
terms  do  not  require  five  minutes'  consideration!" 
Louis  Napoleon,  Emperor  of  the  French,  also  de- 
clared war  against  Russia  at  the  same  time.  In 


SOI  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

Ins  address,  at  the  opening  of  the  legislature,  he 
said :  "  France  has  as  much — and  perhaps  more — 
interest  at  stake,  than  England,  to  prevent  the  ex- 
tension of  the  influence  of  Russia,  indefinitely,  over 
Constantinople;  for  to  reign  at  Constantinople  is 
to  command  the  Mediterranean,  and  not  one  of  you 
will  say,  that  England  alone  has  interests  in  that 
sea  which  washes  three  hundred  leagues  of  our 
shores." 

At  first,  the  English  cabinet  had  determined  to 
send  25,000  troops  to  the  assistance  of  the  sultan. 
They  resolved,  however,  to  send  twice  that  num- 
ber, and  Lord  Raglan,  then  better  known  as  Lord 
Fitzroy  Somerset,  Master-General  of  the  Ordnance, 
an  old  friend  and  associate  of  Wellington,  was 
appointed  to  the  chief  command.  The  French 
emperor,  incensed  by  the  coolness  with  which 
Nicholas  had  acknowledged  the  announcement  of 
his  accession  to  the  French  throne,  was  determined 
to  send  a  formidable  force  to  the  East.  Sixty 
thousand  men — a  large  portion  of  whom  had 
served  as  Zouaves  in  the  war  in  Algeria — were 
placed  under  the  command  of  the  veteran  friend 
of  Napoleon  III.,  Marshal  St.  Arnaud,  assisted  by 
General  Canrobert.  These  troops  sailed  for  the 
East;  and  in  the  month  of  May,  1854,  the  trans- 
ports which  conveyed  the  allied  army  hove  in  sight 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIBST.  305 

of  the  towers  of  Varna,  where  they  were  ordered 
first  to  disembark.  Day  after  day  the  vast  arma- 
ment transferred  itself  from  the  ships  to  the  shore, 
and  crowded  the  streets  and  dwellings  of  the  city. 
This  first  detachment  consisted  of  50,000  troops, 
sent  to  the  assistance  of  the  sultan. 

Passing  by  details  of  inferior  interest,  let  us  ap- 
proach the  event  of  greatest  magnitude,  which  oc- 
curred during  the  campaign  of  1854.  This  event 
was  the  celebrated  siege  of  Silistria,  a  fortified  city, 
which  had,  during  the  previous  war  with  Turkey, 
been  captured  by  the  Russians  without  much  diffi- 
culty, or  very  great  sacrifices. 

Previous  to  the  investment  of  this  city  by  the 
army  of  the  czar,  Prince  Paskiewitch  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  supreme  command  of  the  Russian 
forces.  This  officer  was,  beyond  all  question,  the 
most  able,  the  most  experienced,  and  the  most  suc- 
cessful, of  all  the  Russian  generals.  He  had  been 
the  conqueror  both  of  Persia  and  of  Poland,  in  the 
conflicts  of  the  czar  with  those  nations.  He  was 
now  supported  by  the  flower  of  the  Russian  corps 
of  officers :  by  Schilders,  the  most  skilful  general 
of  engineers;  by  the  dauntless  GortschakofF;  by 
the  impetuous  Luders ;  by  the  resolute  Orloff,  the 
personal  favourite  of  the  czar,  and  the  Murat  of  the 
Russian  cavalry. 

26* 


306  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

The  capture  of  Silistria  was  an  achievement  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  Nicholas.  It  was  the 
strongest  fortress  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Dan- 
ube. It  was  the  key  to  the  province  of  Bulgaria. 
Until  it  was  taken  no  further  operations  of  import- 
ance could  be  made,  either  aggressive  or  defensive, 
by  the  Russian  generals. 

That  Nicholas  never  doubted  for  a  moment  that 
the  fortress  would  easily  and  certainly  fall  into  his 
hands,  is  evinced  by  his  orders  to  his  generals. 
But  before  he  ventured  upon  a  general  assault,  the 
issue  of  which  might,  by  a  bare  possibility,  be  un- 
fortunate, he  determined  to  try,  as  usual,  the  effect 
of  bribery.  He,  therefore,  ordered  a  flag  of  truce  to 
be  sent  to  the  garrison,  demanding  a  parley.  Pas- 
kiewitch  and  Moussa  Pacha  held  a  private  inter- 
view outside  the  walls,  during  which  the  following 
conversation  is  said  to  have  taken  place.  Said  Pas- 
kiewitch:  "The  Emperor  of  Russia  wishes  to 
spare  the  needless  effusion  of  blood.  He  had  sent 
positive  orders,  that  Silistria  must  be  taken.  Hence, 
it  inevitably  will  be  taken ;  and  it  would  be  wise 
for  the  Turkish  commander  to  yield  at  once,  and 
not  uselessly  throw  away  the  lives  of  thousands  of 
his  garrison,  as  well  as  bring  great  misfortunes  on 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city."  To  this  Moussa 
Pacha  answered :  "  That  the  sultan  had  honoured 


OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FI11ST.  307 

him  with  positive  instructions  to  defend  the 
place;  nor  could  he  surrender  it  if  he  had  hut 
a  thousand  men,  and  all  Russia  was  at  the  gates, 
headed  hy  the  czar  himself."  Hereupon,  it  is 
added,  that  Paskiewitch  made  a  mysterious,  pan- 
tomimic sign  with  his  hand,  which  implied  an 
enormous  sum  of  gold  imperials.  Moussa's  only 
answer  to  this  proposed  bribe  was  a  hearty  laugh, 
and  the  remark,  "  Let  us  now  separate ;  the  inter- 
view under  white  flags  is  over." 

The  garrison  of  Silistria  did  not  at  that  time 
number  more  than  10,000  men.  The  army  of  the 
czar,  which  surrounded  its  walls,  comprised  53,000 
Russians ;  and  batteries  had  been  established  by 
them,  commanding  the  most  important  points. 
Small  as  the  garrison  was,  it  was  commanded  by 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  heroic  of  the  Turkish 
generals;  the  soldiers  under  him  had  caught  his 
dauntless  spirit,  and  they  were  determined  that  the 
foe  should  only  enter  the  fortress  over  the  corpses 
of  the  whole  garrison. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1854,  commenced  the  siege 
of  Silistria,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  on  record ; 
not  for  the  number  of  men  engaged,  but  for  the 
desperate  nature  of  the  attack  and  of  the  defence. 
During  the  space  of  ten  weeks,  the  immense  force 
under  Paskiewitch  was  brought  forward  to  repeated 


308  TIIE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

and  renewed  assaults.  They  were  as  often  repulsed 
by  the  heroic  garrison.  The  Russians  then  brought 
their  heavy  artillery  to  bear  against  the  works. 
They  slew  the  defenders  of  the  walls,  but  as  often 
as  the  latter  disappeared,  others  as  bold  and  resolute 
as  they,  instantly  rose  in  their  places.  Breaches  were 
made  in  the  bulwarks;  but  before  the  advancing 
columns  could  enter  the  breach,  they  discovered 
strong  walls  which  had  been  erected  in  their  real1, 
and  which  were  still  to  be  taken.  Mines  were 
excavated  toward  the  works.  The  Turks  counter- 
mined, and  blew  the  Russian  engineers  into  the  air. 
The  batteries  of  the  Russians  threw  a  deluge  of  shot 
and  shell  into  the  city ;  but  its  defenders  liberally 
returned  the  hailstorm  of  death,  from  the  summit 
of  their  battlements.  Moussa  Pacha  proved  him- 
self, by  his  extraordinary  exertions  and  heroism, 
worthy  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the 
sultan. 

The  siege  continued,  as  time  wore  on,  without 
any  advantage  being  gained  by  the  Russians.  Pas- 
kiewitch  had  repeatedly  sent  despatches  to  the  czar, 
informing  him  of  the  immense  difficulties  which  his 
troops  had  to  encounter,  and  the  heroic  defence 
made  by  the  garrison,  as  excuses  for  not  having 
already  won  a  signal  triumph.  At  length  the 
haughty  czar  became  exasperated  at  the  delay  and 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  309 

at  the  failure  ;  and  he  sent  a  peremptory  command 
to  Paskiewitch  to  write  him  no  more  letters  about 
the  difficulties  of  the  siege,  and  the  sufferings  of  his 
troops,  but  to  "take  Silistria." 

In  accordance  with  this  order  of  the  disappointed 
and  infuriated  monarch,  the  Russian  commander  at 
length  determined  on  a  grand  and  final  assault.  On 
the  28th  of  June  a  coup-de-main  was  resolved  upon. 
Paskiewitch  endeavoured  beforehand  to  stimulate 
the  brutal  courage  of  his  troops  to  the  highest  pos- 
sible pitch.  Liberal  rations  of  brandy  were  distri- 
buted. Rich  rewards,  promotions,  and  decorations, 
were  promised  to  those  who  distinguished  them- 
selves in  the  coming  assault.  Threats  of  death  were 
uttered  against  any  who  would  display  cowardice 
and  a  want  of  resolution.  He  declared  that,  if  the 
assault  failed,  the  rations  of  the  whole  army  would 
be  stopped  by  the  czar,  who  had  directly  threatened 
it.  Silistria  must  be  taken,  whatever  sacrifice  it 
might  cost,  either  of  lives,  or  of  effort,  or  of 
suffering. 

Prince  Paskiewitch  led  on  the  advanced  columns 
to  this  attack  on  the  fortress  in  person.  He  was 
ably  supported  by  divisions  under  Generals  Schil- 
ders,  Gortschakoff,  Luders,  and  Orloff.  The  assault 
was  made  along  the  whole  line  of  the  works,  by 
50,000  troops,  defended  by  12,000.  The  conflict 


310  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

was  desperate  beyond  description.  The  Russians 
seemed  determined  to  obey  the  peremptory  com- 
mand of  the  czar  to  take  the  place,  or  else  to  perish 
in  the  attempt.  The  Turks  appeared  to  be  fully 
conscious  of  the  vast  importance  of  Silistria  to  the 
interests  of  their  sovereign  and  their  country ;  and 
they  fought  inch  by  inch,  as  the  teeming  multitudes 
of  the  foe  swelled  upward  like  a  mighty  tide  against 
the  fortifications.  During  this  memorable  day,  the 
fierce  demon  of  war  raged  with  untamed  ferocity 
around  the  works,  thus  furiously  attacked  and  as 
furiously  defended.  Quarter  was  neither  asked  nor 
given  by  either  party.  There  have  been  other 
sieges,  in  which  greater  numbers  of  men  have  min- 
gled in  the  deadly  combat;  but  there  have  been 
none,  in  which  more  brilliant  episodes  of  dauntless 
heroism  and  unconquerable  fortitude  were  displayed, 
by  the  determined  defenders  of  a  great  fortress. 

Night  fell  on  the  scene  of  conflict  and  of  blood, 
and  Silistria  still  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
Turks.  The  conflict  ceased;  and  the  discomfited 
soldiers  of  the  czar,  after  putting  forth  their  best 
and  utmost  exertions,  had  failed  to- "take  Silistria." 
The  ferocity  of  the  conflict  may  be  inferred  from  its 
consequences.  Prince  Paskiewitch  was  dangerously 
wounded ;  Count  Orloff  was  killed ;  Gortschakoff 
was  severely  wounded ;  Schilders  had  both  his  legs 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  811 

shattered;  and  Luders  lost  a  jaw  bone.  Thirty 
thousand  Russian  soldiers  had  perished  before  the 
walls  of  Silistria,  and  on  the  day  of  that  grand  as- 
sault. The  siege  was  immediately  raised,  and  the 
remnant  of  the  discomfited  army  withdrew  toward 
Foktchani. 

The  triumphant  Turks,  on  their  side,  lost  several 
thousand  men  in  killed  and  wounded;  but  their 
greatest  misfortune  was  in  the  death  of  Moussa 
Pacha,  the  heroic  commander  of  the  fortress.  Dur- 
ing the  height  of  the  conflict,  he  was  struck  on  the 
head  by  a  cannon  shot,  and  expired  instantly. 

It  is  said,  that  when  Nicholas  received  informa- 
tion of  the  defeat  of  his  army  in  this  attack  on 
Silistria,  he  gave  way  to  the  most  furious  paroxysms 
of  rage.  Nor  could  the  great  age  of  Paskiewitch,  his 
long  services,  and  his  brilliant  victories  in  former 
times,  save  him  from  the  biting  reproofs,  and  the 
ill-concealed  displeasure,  of  the  baffled  czar.  He 
requested  permission  to  retire  from  the  service ;  and 
that  permisssion  was  sullenly  granted  to  him  by 
Nicholas,  without  a  word  of  compliment  or  regret. 


312  THE   LIFE   AN7D    REIGN 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DEPARTURE  OF  THE  ALLIES  FEOM  VARNA — LANDING  AT  OLD  FORT — 

PLANS  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN SEVASTOPOL BATTLE  OF  THE  ALMA 

PREPARATIONS  OF  THE  RUSSIANS TREMENDOUS  STRUGGLES  BETWEEN 

THE  COMBATANTS DECISIVE  VICTORY  OF  THE  ALLIES RETREAT 

OF  THE  RUSSIANS CONSEQUENCES  OF  THE  BATTLE THE  ADVANCE 

TOWARD  SEVASTOPOL — BATTLE  OF  BALAKLAVA. 

THE  allied  army  still  remained  in  their  quarters 
at  Yarna,  during  the  progress  of  the  siege  of  Silis- 
tria.  The  failure  of  the  Russian  commanders  to 
take  that  important  fortress  completely  changed  the 
plans  of  the  campaign.  The  question  now  for  the 
allied  commanders  to  determine,  was  how  their 
forces  could  be  most  usefully  employed. 

Several  projects  were  proposed;  but  the  resolu- 
tion was  finally  adopted,  that  the  most  efficient  and 
destructive  blow  to  the  power  of  the  czar,  would  be 
inflicted  by  marching  directly  into  the  Russian  pro- 
vince of  the  Crimea,  and  laying  siege  to  Sevastopol, 
the  largest,  the  most  formidable,  and  the  most  valu- 
ble  fortress  in  the  Russian  Empire,  perhaps  even  in 
the  world.  The  allied  armies  accordingly  broke  up 
their  quarters  at  Varna,  and  on  the  7th  of  Septem- 


T;'* 


OF    NICHOLAS    THE    FIP.ST.  313 

bcr,  1854,  a  vast  fleet,  consisting  altogether  of  400 
vessels,  set  sail  for  the  Crimea,  with  the  English 
and  French  troops  on  board. 

On  the  morning  of  the  llth  of  September,  the 
fleet  hove  in  sight  of  the  low  coast  of  that  clime, 
which  was  so  soon  to  be  rendered  memorable  by  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  sieges  in  history.  About 
eight  miles  from  Eupatoria,  the  ships  cast  anchor  in 
the  bay  of  Kalamita,  near  a  place  known  by  the 
name  of  "Old  Fort."  It  seemed  a  deserted  coast, 
barren  and  uninhabited.  The  only  signs  of  life 
\vhich  greeted  the  view  of  the  voyagers,  were  a 
mounted  Russian  officer  attended  by  several  wild 
Cossacks,  on  the  look-out ;  who  disappeared  in  the 
distance  as  soon  as  they  were  observed.  The  living 
freight  of  the  vessels  was  entirely  discharged  by  the 
14th  of  September;  and  by  the  16th  the  entire 
force  of  the  allies  was  under  arms,  in  the  land 
which  they  were  about  to  immortalize  by  their 
heroism. 

The  allied  armies  immediately  commenced  their 
march  across  the  peninsula  toward  Sevastopol ;  and 
on  the  20th  of  September  they  approached  the  small 
river  Alma,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  on  the 
eastern  part  of  the  peninsula,  and  falls  into  the  sea 
about  twelve  miles  to  the  north  of  Sevastopol.  It 
was  on  the  precipitous  shores  of  this  obscure  stream, 

27 


314 


THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 


that  the  first  great  battle  in  the  Crimea  was  destined 
to  take  place. 

On  the  eminences  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Alma,  the  Russians  had  erected  a  long  line  of  en- 
trenchments, with  enormous  batteries.  The  summit 
of  the  hills  was  occupied  by  large  masses  of  infantry, 
various  batteries  had  been  erected  at  different  points 
on  the  flank  of  the  advancing  troops,  and  along  the 
tops  of  the  cliffs  which  overhung  the  sea.  The 
Russians  had  destroyed  the  bridge  across  the  river, 
and  had  set  fire  to  the  village  of  Burliuk,  on  the 
southern  bank,  in  order  to  prevent  it  from  being 
made  a  cover  to  their  troops  by  the  allies. 

Thus  were  the  Russians  posted,  in  strong  numbers, 
and  in  admirably  defended  positions,  to  dispute  the 
farther  advance  of  the  allies  toward  Sevastopol. 
The  latter  immediately  discovered  the  necessity  of  a 
battle,  as  well  as  of  a  victory ;  and  though  the  Russian 
general  had  vastly  the  advantage  of  position,  they 
determined  to  advance  at  once  to  the  attack.  Prince 
Menschikoff  commanded,  on  that  day,  54,000  troops, 
together  with  a  formidable  array  of  artillery.  It  was 
natural  that  he  should  anticipate  a  decisive  victory. 
The  allied  armies  numbered  about  60,000  men ;  and 
the  first  sight  of  the  Russians  strongly  entrenched 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  sternly  await- 
ing their  attack,  must  have  been  a  scene  in  the 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FiKST.  315 

highest  degree  inspiriting.  Nor  was  the  moment 
without  grave  anxiety  for  the  invading  forces.  If 
they  failed  in  gaining  the  opposite  heights,  and, 
with  them,  the  victory,  it  would  be  a  disaster  preg- 
nant with  presages  of  coming  ruin.  Their  march  to 
Sevastopol  would  be  prevented.  Their  retreat  to  their 
ships  would  become  as  inevitable,  as  it  would  be 
ignominious ;  victory  alone,  which  must  evidently  be 
won  by  great  sacrifices,  and  by  heroic  valour,  could 
save  them  from  utter  ruin,  and  insure  the  future. 

According  to  the  plan  of  attack  adopted  by  the 
allied  generals,  the  French  troops  on  the  right  of 
their  line,  were  to  cross  the  Alma  first,  and,  scaling 
the  precipitous  heights  on  the  opposite  bank,  attack 
the  Russian  left.  They  did  so.  The  Zouaves,  accus- 
tomed to  the  desultory  warfare  of  Africa,  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  tops  of  the  cliffs  and  forming  into 
line,  notwithstanding  the  torrent  of  musketry  poured 
upon  them  by  the  Russian  sharp-shooters.  Next,  the 
division  of  General  Bosquet  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  elevated  plateau.  A  furious  conflict  ensued 
between  the  Russian  and  French  troops.  The  issue 
was  so  doubtful,  that  Marshal  St.  Arnaud  sent  to 
the  English  commander,  beseeching  him  to  bring 
his  own  troops  into  action. 

At  half-past  one  the  English  regiments  began  to 
move.  They  dashed  into  the  stream,  in  the  midst 


316  THE   LIFE    AND    REIGN 

of  a  shower  of  rifle  balls,  and  artillery  from  the 
opposite  heights.  Having  reached  the  shore,  they 
formed,  and  advanced  to  the  attack.  Menschikoff 
still  remained  in  the  centre  of  his  position,  and  his 
troops  had  yet  been  unengaged.  He  directed  a 
tremendous  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery  upon  the 
English,  as  they  toilfully  ascended  the  heights. 
The  enormous  weight  of  the  Russian  columns,  to- 
gether with  the  terrible  havoc  made  in  their  ranks, 
by  the  artillery  which,  from  the  heights  above, 
ploughed  through  and  through  them,  leaving  long 
lanes  of  dead  and  dying,  compelled  the  English 
slowly  to  yield;  until  fortunately  at  this  moment, 
the  gallant  thirty-third  regiment,  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington's favourite,  reached  the  spot  occupied  by  the 
wavering  lines,  and  led  them  back  again  to  victory. 
Regiment  after  regiment  of  the  allies  charged 
furiously  up  the  heights ;  and  conflict  after  conflict, 
successively  ended,  after  prodigious  exertions,  in  the 
triumph  of  the  allies.  At  times  the  efforts  of  the 
Russians  seemed  to  render  the  final  issue  of  the 
conflict  doubtful.  In  one  instance  the  regiments 
of  Royal  and  Welsh  Fusiliers,  crushed  by  the  im- 
mense impetus  of  the  Russian  charge,  were  in  full 
retreat  down  the  heights.  At  that  moment  the 
Guards  and  Highlanders,  under  the  command  of  the 
Duke  of  Cambridge,  were  ascending  the  heights 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  317 

and  met  their  retreating  comrades.  The  Scotch 
Guards  opened  their  ranks  to  permit  the  fugitives  to 
pass  through  them,  and  to  reform  in  the  rear.  They 
then  charged  in  front  against  the  pursuing  Russians 
with  prodigious  fury.  The  vigorous  and  powerful 
sons  of  the  North,  giants  in  strength  by  the  side  of 
their  pigmy  foes,  hewed  them  down  with  tremendous 
onslaught ;  and  forced  them,  after  a  desperate  hand-to- 
hand  conflict,  to  retreat  precipitately  to  their  works. 
At  length,  after  many  feats  of  valour  and  heroism 
on  both  sides,  the  whole  line  of  the  allies  reached 
the  redoubts  which  stretched  along  the  summit  of 
the  heights.  The  Russians  then  no  longer  at- 
tempted to  defend  them.  They  fled  precipitately; 
and  the  allies  directed  their  own  guns  against  the 
retreating  multitude,  as  they  pursued  their  dis- 
orderly way,  down  the  opposite  slopes  of  the  hills, 
toward  Sevastopol.  The  victory  of  the  allies  was 
complete;  and  had  they,  at  that  decisive  moment, 
continued  the  pursuit  to  the  gates  of  Sevastopol,  it 
is  not  improbable,  that  that  fortress  would  have  sur- 
rendered at  discretion.  It  was  afterward  ascer- 
tained, that  the  city  had  been  in  a  great  measure 
emptied  of  its  troops,  to  swell  the  force  upon  the 
memorable  and  blood-stained  heights  of  the  Alma. 
The  Russians  lost  2000  dead,  2700  wounded  on  the 
field.  The  allies  lost  600  killed,  2600  wounded. 

27* 


THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 

Such  was  the  termination  of  the  first  great  pitched 
battle  between  these  powerful  combatants  in  the 
Crimea;  a  battle  which,  while  every  advantage  of 
position  and  of  preparation  was  on  the  Bide  of  the 
Russians,  resulted  in  the  signal  defeat  of  the  troops 
of  the  czar,  and  in  the  additional  mortification 
and  indignation  which  that  defeat  inflicted  on  his 
proud  spirit.  He  had  laid  out  his  utmost  available 
strength,  to  prevent  the  farther  advance  of  the  in- 
vaders into  the  Crimea,  and  to  hurl  them  back  again 
into  the  sea;  and  he  had  utterly  failed.  His  own 
troops  had'  been  compelled  to  fly,  leaving  the  foe  to 
exult  in  the  magnitude  of  his  victory.  To  a  man  of 
the  haughty  temper  of  the  czar,  this  repulse  must 
have  been  galling  beyond  expression;  yet  he,  who 
had  proffered  the  poisoned  chalice  of  despair  and 
misery,  to  the  lips  of  so  many  myriads  of  his  fellow- 
creatures,  was  destined,  in  the  wise  decrees  of  Provi- 
dence, to  drink  still  deeper,  more  bitter,  and  more 
deadly,  draughts,  of  the  same  cup,  ere  death  would 
release  him  from  the  wretched  position,  into  which 
his  insatiable  and  unprincipled  ambition  had  en- 
ticed him. 

It  was  a  matter  of  very  great  importance  to  the 
allies  to  have  uninterrupted  communication  with 
their  fleets,  so  that  the  siege  trains,  ammunition,  and 
provisions  could  be  safely  landed,  and  conveyed 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  819 

to  tlie  camp  before  Sevastopol  with  certainty  and 
ease. 

For  this  purpose  the  port  of  Balaklava  was  chosen. 
This  is  a  small  town  situated  on  the  eastern  side  of 
a  small  harbour,  defended  at  the  entrance  by  lofty 
cliffs.  On  one  of  these  there  was  an  ancient  tower, 
of  small  dimensions,  which  had  been  erected  ages 
since  by  the  Genoese,  at  the  period  when  that  great 
maritime  republic  held  possession  of  this  peninsula. 
Accordingly  the  armies  were  ordered  to  march 
toward  Balaklava,  and  word  was  sent  to  the  fleets 
to  heave  anchor  and  enter  that  port.  On  the  first 
day  of  the  march,  the  French  and  English  reached 
the  heights  known  as  Mackenzie's  Farm,  so  called 
from  its  Tartar  name,  Khutor  Mackenzia.  This  was 
a  storehouse,  with  plantations  of  timber  for  the  use 
of  the  Russian  navy.  On  the  morrow  the  armies 
approached  Balaklava.  The  fleets  had  entered  the 
harbour,  and  immediately  the  town  became  filled 
with  an  immense  and  motley  multitude,  assisting  in 
the  work  of  unloading  the  ammunition  and  the  pro- 
visions for  the  allied  troops. 

Having  arranged  these  important  preliminaries, 
the  French  and  English  proceeded  to  take  their  per- 
manent positions  before  Sevastopol,  and  immediately 
began  the  erection  of  batteries  and  earthworks.  A 
six-gun  battery  commanded  the  head  of  the  harbour 


320  THE   LIFE   AND   KEIGN 

of  Sevastapol.  An  immense  Lancaster  gun,  and 
two  84  pounders,  were  brought  to  bear  on  the  White 
Tower.  The  great  Crown  Battery,  carrying  26  guns 
of  heavy  calibre,  was  placed  in  front  of  the  Redan. 
The  French  extended  their  works  of  attack  to  the 
Quarantine  Bay.  Lord  Raglan's  head-quarters  were 
established  at  a  farm-house  about  half-way  between 
Balaklava  and  the  trenches.  Solid  earthworks  were 
then  commenced,  along  the  whole  line  of  frontage, 
under  the  continual  attack  of  the  artillery  of  the 
immense  garrison  of  Sevastopol.  By  the  16th  of 
October,  1854,  the  armies  may  be  said  to  have  com- 
menced, in  good  earnest,  the  severe,  yet  disciplined 
labours  of  the  siege;  for  early  in  the  morning  of 
that  day,  a  loud  booming  of  the  Lancaster  gun, 
announced  to  the  garrison,  by  its  solemn  ominous 
sound,  that  the  great  struggle  had  at  length  begun. 

It  was  a  matter  of  very  great  importance  to  the 
Russians  to  intercept,  if  possible,  the  connection 
between  the  camp  of  the  allies  and  the  post  of 
Balaklava,  from  which  all  their  supplies  were  con- 
tinually and  necessarily  derived.  Accordingly,  a 
great  struggle  was  determined  on  by  Prince  Men- 
schikoff,  for  the  purpose  of  accomplishing  this  end ; 
and  on  the  25th  of  October  was  fought  the  despe- 
rate battle  of  Balaklava. 

Early  in  the  morning  immense  masses  of  Rus- 


OF   NICHOLAS    TIIE   FIRST.  321 

si  an  cavalry,  supported  by  large  detachments  of 
infantry  and  artillery,  issued  from  the  gates  of 
Sevastopol,  and  reaching  the  heights  on  which  the 
redoubts  of  the  Turks  had  been  built  as  outposts 
of  the  camp,  attacked  them  with  great  fury.  The 
Turks  very  soon  fled,  first  from  one  redoubt, — then 
from  the  next, — then  from  the  third;  until  four 
redoubts  were  successively  won  by  the  advancing 
Russians  without  much  conflict  or  opposition. 
The  retreating  Moslems  fled  in  dismay  down  the 
hill-side  toward  Balaklava.  The  regiments  of 
Highlanders  had  been  rapidly  drawn  out  in  line 
in  the  rear  of  the  attacked  redoubts,  by  the 
prompt  action  of  the  Duke  of  Cambridge ;  and  as 
the  tumultuous  mob  of  flying  Osmanli  ap- 
proached their  ranks,  the  latter  opened,  and  per- 
mitted them  to  pass  through,  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  again  in  their  rear. 

The  unworthy  sons  of  the  Prophet  being  thus 
disposed  of,  the  dauntless  Highlanders  closed,  and 
awaited  the  approach  of  the  Russian  cavalry, 
which  now  came  thundering  on.  Squadron  after 
squadron  of  whiskered  and  hairy  hussars  ap- 
peared in  sight,  rapidly  approaching  the  long  lines 
of  Scotch  riflemen;  who,  dressed  in  the  national 
costume,  awaited  in  silence,  and  with  the  firm- 
ness of  adamant,  the  approach  of  the  foe, — two 


322  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

thousand  of  whom  now  were  nearly  within  range 
of  their  deadly  Minie  rifles.  It  was  a  sublime 
spectacle,  yet  one  of  intense  interest,  and  of  incal- 
culable importance.  The  English  and  French 
generals,  with  their  brilliant  staffs,  anxiously  sur- 
veyed the  scene  from  the  summit  of  a  hill,  over- 
looking the  valley  of  the  Balaklava.  From  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  more  troops  could  not,  at 
that  moment,  be  brought  into  action ;  and  the 
glory  and  the  issue  of  the  day  depended  entirely 
on  the  heroism  and  steadiness  of  the  Scotch. 

At  length,  the  Russian  squadrons  arrived  within 
range  of  the  riflemen.  The  very  ground  shook 
beneath  their  heavy  tread.  Yet  the  long,  double 
line  of  the  Highlanders  seemed  to  stand  unmoved, 
like  inanimate  statues.  Now  several  hundred 
yards  alone  separated  the  combatants.  The  com- 
mander of  the  Highlanders  then  gave  a  sharp, 
quick  order.  Instantly  the  long  glittering  lines  of 
steel  ascended  to  the  shoulder,  with  the  regularity 
and  precision  of  some  admirably-contrived  ma- 
chinery. Another  sharp  word  of  command  was 
heard.  A  quick  flash  of  fire  darted  simultaneously 
along  the  whole  line  of  muzzles;  a  light  smoke 
arose,  and  a  sharp  report  was  heard,  ringing  on  the 
ear.  The  effect  upon  the  advancing  cavalry  was 
terrific.  Hundreds  of  riders  and  horses  dropped 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  323 

instantly  on  the  earth ;  and  the  confused  mass  was 
seen  plunging  to  and  fro  in  disorder  and  terror. 
But  after  a  few  moments,  by  the  efforts  of  their 
officers,  the  squadrons  were  formed  again ;  and 
then  they  advanced  once  more  to  the  attack.  The 
front  line  of  the  Highlanders,  by  a  word  of  com- 
mand, knelt  on  the  earth;  and  the  second  line, 
taking  deadly  aim,  discharged  a  volley  into  the 
Russian  squadron,  now  nearer  than  before.  The 
effect  of  this  second  discharge  was  more  dreadful 
than  the  first.  Hundreds  of  Russians  strewed  the 
ground.  Riderless  horses  dashed  to  and  fro  in 
wild  confusion.  The  whole  mass  of  cavalry  were 
thrown  into  the  utmost  disorder,  and  then  turned 
and  fled  from  the  scene  of  action.  The  triumph 
of  the  heroic  Scotch  was  again  complete,  as  it 
had  been  before,  on  the  memorable  heights  of  the 
Alma. 

But  still  the  victory  was  not  won.  The  Russian 
cavalry  in  their  flight  reached  the  regiments  of 
reserve  which  had  not  yet  been  on  the  battle-field ; 
and,  thus  augmented,  the  mass  returned  again  to 
the  English  position,  and  charged  the  heavy  bri- 
gade, under  the  command  of  General  Scarlett.  The 
attack  and  repulse  between  these  large  masses 
of  troops  was  one  of  prodigious  violence.  Again 
the  Russians  hoped  to  win  back  the  victory  to 


3J4  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

their  arms,  by  extraordinary  exertions.  They  were 
met  by  a  heroism  as  dauntless  as  their  own.  It  is 
said,  that  this  hand-to-hand  conflict  on  the  shores 
of  Balaklava,  equalled  in  fury  any  thing  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  war.  There  were  men  engaged  in  it, 
who  had  taken  part  in  many  memorable  conflicts ; 
men,  who  had  seen  the  great  charge  of  the  Life 
Guards  at  Waterloo;  who  had  been  present  at  the 
onset  of  the  Imperial  Guard  of  Napoleon  at  Leip- 
sic ;  who  had  witnessed  the  heroism  of  the  English 
veterans  at  Salamanca.  But  they  assert,  that  none 
of  these  tremendous  conflicts  exceeded  in  fury,  or 
in  heroism,  that  with  which  the  heights  of  Balak- 
lava that  day  shook,  when  Menschikoff  deter- 
mined, by  one  prodigious  blow,  to  crush  the 
power  of  the  allies,  and  thus  compel  them  to  make 
a  precipitate  retreat  from  the  Crimea.  *  At  length, 
however,  the  British  dragoons  triumphed  over  their 
foes,  and  the  Russians  fled  in  terror  and  confusion, 
leaving  the  earth,  for  several  miles,  covered  with  the 
wounded  and  the  dying. 

Yet  still  the  Russians  remained  in  possession 
of  the  unfortunate  redoubts,  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  Turks.  These  must  be  recovered,  or  the 
glory  of  the  day  would  remain  incomplete.  For 
this  purpose,  Lord  Raglan  ordered  the  Earl  of 
Lucan  to  advance  with  the  cavalry  under  his  com- 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  325 

mand.  The  earl — at  the  moment  when  this  move- 
ment would  have  been  effectual — refused  to  execute 
it.  Lord  Raglan  sent  another  order  afterward  to 
the  same  effect.  The  Earl  of  Lucan  sent  this  order 
to  the  Earl  of  Cardigan,  who  commanded  the  light 
brigade.  That  officer  at  once  saw  that,  as  the  bat- 
tle then  stood,  the  execution  of  this  order,  with  the 
number  of  troops  then  under  his  command,  was 
utterly  impossible.  Nevertheless,  the  stern  sense 
of  duty  which  actuated  him,  compelled  him  to  obey 
the  command  of  a  superior  officer.  The  Earl  of 
Cardigan  bravely  led  on  detachments  of  five  regi- 
ments. As  they  approached  the  redoubts,  the 
heroic  English  saw  the  guns  ranged  in  grim  array 
against  them,  and  beheld  at  once  the  desperate  and 
ruinous  nature  of  the  attack  which  they  were  com- 
pelled to  make.  The  event  soon  confirmed  their 
forebodings.  The  murderous  fires  of  the  redoubts 
mowed  down  two-thirds  of  the  English  soldiers. 
In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  four  hundred  men 
were  left  dead  on  the  field,  and  the  remnant  re- 
gained with  difficulty  the  position  from  which  they 
had  first  moved. 

Thus  the  battle  of  Balaklava  ended, — a  conflict, 
in  which  the  glory  and  the  disasters  seem  to  have 
been  equally  divided.  Before  the  Russians  left  the 

redoubts,  which  they  had  taken   from   the  Turks, 

28 


32G  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

they  dismantled  them,  and  removed  the  cannon 
which  they  contained  to  Sevastopol.  The  greatest 
heroism  was  displayed  on  both  sides,  although  but 
a  portion  of  the  armies — Russian,  English,  and 
French — were  engaged  in  the  conflict.  The  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  seems  also  to  have  been  very 
nearly  equal. 


*». 


" 


*  st. 


OF   NICHOLAS   TUE   FIRST.  327 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ARRIVAL    OF    REINFORCEMENTS    IN    SEVASTOPOL    UNDER    GENERAL    DAN- 

NENBERG A     GREAT     PITCHED      BATTLE      CONTEMPLATED     BY     THE 

RUSSIANS THE      PREPARATIONS     OF     THE     RUSSIANS MEMORABLE 

BATTLE  OF  INKERMANN  —  HEROISM  OF  THE  LIFE  GUARDS  —  SUC- 
COUR AFFORDED  BY  THE  FRENCH — VICTORY  OF  THE  ALLIES  —  RE- 
SULTS OF  THE  BATTLE. 

ONE  more  great  battle  on  the  field  was  destined 
to  take  place,  between  the  armies  of  Nicholas  and 
their  foes,  during  the  lifetime  of  the  czar ;  and  that 
was  the  memorable  battle  of  the  Inkermann.  The 
number  of  men  involved  in  this  conflict  was  much 
greater  than  in  that  of  Balaklava,  and  its  conse- 
quences were  much  more  important. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  large  reinforcements  of 
Russian  troops,  under  General  Dannenberg,  arrived 
from  Odessa  at  Sevastopol,  and  entered  the  fortress 
from  transports  in  the  harbour.  The  Grand  Dukes 
Michael  and  Nicholas,  sons  of  the  mighty  czar,  ac- 
companied them,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging 
the  garrison  by  their  presence.  On  Sunday,  No- 
vember 4th,  solemn  religious  services  were  held  in 
the  town,  at  which  patriarchs  and  prelates  of  the 


328  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

Greek  Church  addressed  the  soldiers  of  the  gar- 
rison, urging  them  to  their  utmost  efforts  of  valour 
and  endurance  in  the  coming  battle.  They  assured 
the  men,  that  death  on  the  field,  in  the  line  of  duty, 
would  only  be  the  highway  to  heavenly  glory,  and 
to  fadeless  immortality.  They  told  them,  that  the 
English  camp  was  filled  with  treasure,  one-third  of 
which  should  be  divided  among  the  soldiers.  All 
were  urged,  by  every  possible  consideration  of  re- 
venge, fanaticism,  hatred,  and  avarice,  to  the  most 
desperate  exertions  to  vanquish  the  allies,  to  drive 
them  into  the  sea,  and  to  capture  all  their  bag- 
gage, ammunition,  and  provisions.  Such  was  the 
object  of,  and  such  the  preparations  for,  the  great 
battle  of  Inkermann. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  No- 
vember, General  Gortschakoff  made  a  demonstra- 
tion toward  Balaklava  with  his  division,  as  if 
intending  to  cut  off  the  communication  of  the 
allies  with  that  post,  so  essential  to  their  safety. 
This  drew  a  large  portion  of  the  allied  troops  from 
the  centre,  leaving  their  front,  in  a  great  measure, 
unprotected.  General  Dannenberg,  with  his  new 
and  fresh  recruits,  was  then  to  attack  the  main 
position  of  the  allies.  General  Soimonoff  was  to 
issue  from  the  Great  Malakoff  fortress,  and  attack 
the  English  on  the  western  extremity  of  their  lines. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  329 

By  tliis  arrangement  tlie  Russians  brought  50,000 
troops  into  the  field. 

The  attack  having  been  begun  at  Balaklava,  it  was 
followed  up  by  vast  masses  of  Russian  infantry,  who 
assaulted  the  centre  of  the  English  lines,  weakened 
by  detachments  sent  to  aid  the  French  under  Gene- 
ral Bosquet  at  the  former  place.  The  Russians  took 
several  batteries  erected  in  front  of  the  English 
lines,  and  were  advancing  rapidly,  and  in  great 
force  and  fury,  when  they  were  checked  by  a  dis- 
charge of  the  fatal  Minie  rifles.  But  their  retreat 
was  stopped  by  the  regiments  which  they  met,  ad- 
vancing in  their  rear.  Another  conflict  ensued,  and 
the  English  were  compelled,  by  vast  superiority  of 
numbers,  to  fly  from  their  breastworks,  and  were 
pursued,  still  desperately  fighting,  toward  their  own 
camp. 

At  this  critical  moment,  the  20th  and  47th  Eng- 
lish regiments  arrived  to  the  assistance  of  their 
overpowered  comrades,  and  made  a  tremendous 
onset  upon  the  serried  ranks  of  the  advancing 
Russians.  "With  loud  shouts  of  rage  and  exultation, 
the  English  swept  down  masses  of  the  Muscovites, 
who,  overcome  with  sudden  terror  at  this  unex- 
pected repulse,  began  again  to  waver  and  to  give 
way.  The  combat  now  became  exceedingly  bloody 
and  desperate.  At  length  even  the  20th  and  47th 

28* 


THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

were  compelled  to  yield,  and  they  slowly  retreated, 
under  the  immense  pressure  of  the  Russian  squad- 
rons which  seemed  to  swell  upward  to  the  heights 
from  some  inexhaustible  fountain  below. 

Here  was  another  critical  juncture  in  the  fortunes 
of  the  day ;  but  the  allied  armies  were  again  saved 
from  defeat,  by  the  timely  advance  and  heroic  stand 
made  by  the  Life  Guards  under  the  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge. These  advanced,  with  closed  ranks,  and 
with  fixed  bayonets,  toward  the  summit  of  the  hill, 
which  was  covered  with  a  living  wall  of  Russian 
soldiers.  Twice,  after  fearful  and  deadly  collisions, 
the  Russians  fled.  For  the  third  time  a  hand-to- 
hand  conflict  ensued,  in  and  around  the  battery 
which  the  Russians  had  taken  in  front  of  the  Eng- 
lish lines,  and  which  the  latter  had  once  more  cap- 
tured. Again  the  Russians  succeeded  in  overpower- 
ing its  bold  and  brave  defenders. 

Meanwhile  the  whole  mass  of  Russian  troops 
under  Dannenberg,  50,000  in  number,  became  en- 
gaged; and  were  resisted  by  10,000  English  and 
6000  French  troops.  The  advance  of  SoimonofTs 
corps  d'armee  was  met  and  repulsed  by  the  gallant 
2d  regiment.  From  the  nature  of  the  ground,  the 
battle  assumed  the  appearance  of  conflicts  between 
detached  groups  of  the  combatants,  with  victory 
divided  and  uncertain  between  them.  But  the  vast 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIEST.  331 

superiority  in  numbers,  possessed  by  the  Russians, 
seemed  to  presage  the  triumph  in  their  favour.  It 
was  now  twelve  o'clock.  The  French  had  been  in 
great  part  detained  at  Balaklava  by  the  feigned 
attack  made  upon  them  there.  But  General  Bos- 
quet had  by  this  time  discovered  the  trick,  and  de- 
termined to  detach  a  large  portion  of  his  troops  to 
the  aid  of  the  English.  It  was  indeed  high  time. 
But  for  this  seasonable  succour,  the  Russians  had 
won  a  signal  victory.  As  the  English  lines  were 
wavering,  in  spite  of  the  utmost  efforts  of  heroism 
and  fortitude  exhibited  by  them,  the  former  war- 
riors of  Africa  rushed  to  their  assistance,  and 
charged  the  Russians  with  terrific  fury,  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet. 

This  opportune  assistance  decided  the  fortunes  of 
the  day.  After  a  brave  resistance,  the  Russians 
turned,  retreated,  and  fled  toward  the  gates  of  Se- 
vastopol. Sixteen  thousand  men  had  literally  de- 
feated fifty  thousand;  but  the  slaughter  on  both 
sides  was  fearful.  The  scene  from  the  battery  was 
awful.  Outside  of  it,  the  Russians  lay  .dead,  two 
and  three  deep.  Inside  of  it,  the  place  was  actually 
filled  with  the  bodies  of  Russians,  and  with  soldiers 
of  the  20th  and  50th  regiments.  All  over  the  bloody 
field,  the  dying  and  the  dead  were  piled  in  gory 
heaps.  As  the  calm,  clear  moon  shone  brightly  that 


332  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

night,  casting  her  peaceful  rays  over  the  ensan- 
guined hills,  more  than  15,000  dead  and  dying 
men,  of  many  nations  and  from  distant  climes,  en- 
cumbered the  earth.  From  the  very  tents  of  the 
English,  down  the  declivities,  along  the  ravines,  in 
the  valleys,  and  upon  the  undulating  hills,  even  to 
the  Inkerman  ruins  below,  the  earth  was  strewed 
with  human  bodies,  with  arms,  with  ammunition, 
with  clothing,  dead  horses,  broken  artillery  wagons, 
and  all  the  tumultuous  wrecks  of  the  conflict.  The 
loss  of  the  English  was  500  killed,  1900  wounded ; 
that  of  the  French  was  nearly  equal.  The  loss  of 
the  Russians,  in  killed  and  wounded,  is  admitted  to 
have  been  8000  men. 

Thus  the  year  1854  closed,  as  clouds  and  darkness 
were  gathering  thickly  over  the  fortunes  of  the  am- 
bitious czar.  The  battle  of  Inkerman,  in  which  the 
Russian  generals  displayed  their  utmost  skill  in  all 
the  arts  and  strategy  of  war,  and  in  which  the 
Russian  soldiers  fought  with  a  degree  of  resolution 
unsurpassed  in  military  annals,  was  undoubtedly 
intended  by  Nicholas  to  be  a  decisive  blow  to  the 
power  and  prospects  of  the  allied  armies.  In  this 
purpose,  he  had  been  signally  defeated.  The  battle 
of  Inkerman,  though  the  disproportion  of  numbers 
was  so  prodigiously  great,  was  a  brilliant  victory  in 
favour  of  the  allies. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  333 

Nicholas,  having  received  despatches  detailing 
the  incidents  of  this  memorable  struggle,  fell  back 
in  his  chair  in  a  moody  fit  of  sullen  abstraction. 
Another  terrible  blow  had  been  struck  at  his  over- 
towering  pride.  Again,  and  for  the  third  time,  his 
best  troops  had  been  vanquished;  and  all  his 
haughty  utterances,  indicative  of  his  confidence  in 
his  irresistible  power,  became  now  more  and  more 
ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  exulting  and  jeering  na- 
tions, who  rejoiced  to  see  the  power  of  the  great 
czar  thus  broken  and  dishonoured.  With  such 
gloomy  reflections  the  year  1854  terminated;  and 
Nicholas,  in  bitterness  and  indignation,  began  to 
make  preparations  for  the  ensuing  campaign. 


334  THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

SIEGE   OF   SEVASTOPOL    CONTINUED  WITH    GREAT   VIGOUR — THE  FAILING 

HEALTH    OF    NICHOLAS DEFEAT    OF    THE    RUSSIANS   AT    EUPATORIA 

EFFECT  OF  THIS  DISASTER  ON  THE  HEALTH  AND  SPIRITS  OF  NICHOLAS 

HE    IS    CONFINED    TO    HIS    BED HIS    LAST    INTERVIEW    WITH     HIS 

MINISTERS HIS   INSTRUCTIONS   TO  HIS   SUCCESSOR,  ALEXANDER  II. 

HIS  LAST  INTERVIEW  WITH  HIS  FAMILY HIS  DEATH HIS  SUCCESSOR 

IS    PROCLAIMED — THE    WORKS    OF    SEVASTOPOL GENERAL    TODLEBEN 

— FLORENCE    NIGHTINGALE. 

THE  hostile  armies  returned  to  the  renewed  attack 
and  defence  of  Sevastopol.  As  time  wore  on,  the 
most  extraordinary  exertions  were  continually  made, 
and  the  utmost  resources  of  the  military  art  were 
displayed  and  exhausted,  by  those  engaged  in  this 
memorable  siege.  The  allied  armies  gradually 
drew  parallel  after  parallel  closer  around  the  be- 
leaguered city,  and  approached  their  heavy  batteries 
nearer  and  nearer  to  its  massive  fortresses.  Al- 
though the  sufferings  of  the  attacking  forces  were 
immense,  the  final  issue  of  the  conflict  was  becom- 
ing more  and  more  apparent  and  inevitable.  Vast 
reinforcements  to  the  allies  were  constantly  arriving 
from  France  and  England.  Munitions  of  war  were 
sent  in  abundance.  I^ew  generals,  full  of  undaunted 


OF    NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  335 

vigour,  took  the  places  of  those  whom  death,  sick- 
ness, and  age  removed ;  while  the  whole  public  sen- 
timent of  the  civilized  world  pressed  heavily  down 
upon  the  cause  and  interests  of  the  czar.  The 
glory,  the  romance,  the  bright  halo  of  anticipated 
triumph,  resulting  from  the  astounding  displays  of 
irresistible  military  power  which  Nicholas  had  been 
expected  to  make, — all  had  now  passed  away.  A 
black  and  gloomy  pall  of  disaster  and  disappoint- 
ment had  settled  down  over  the  conflict,  and  espe- 
cially ovfer  the  future  fortunes  and  destiny  of  the 
insolent  czar.  All  Europe  exulted,  as  defeat  fol- 
lowed after  defeat,  and  as  the  proud  despot  was 
compelled  to  endure  one  mortification  after  another. 
All  Europe,  except  Prussia  alone,  hoped  for  the 
coining  of  that  momentous  hour,  when  the  final 
and  complete  discomfiture  of  the  Russian  autocrat 
would  become  the  welcome  signal  for  one  general 
and  enthusiastic  outburst  of  exultation  and  derision, 
from  Edinburgh  to  Madrid,  from  Constantinople  to 
Teheran,  from  the  gay  capital  of  France  to  that 
of  bleeding  and  downtrodden  Poland. 

But  disappointment  and  defeat,  unexpected  as 
they  were,  both  by  the  czar,  by  his  subjects,  and  by 
the  rest  of  Europe,  had  been  accomplishing  their 
rapid  and  destructive  work  upon  the  high-mettled 
spirit  of  the  autocrat.  He  who  had  spoken  in  such 


336  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

omnific  and  arrogant  tones,  of  not  permitting  Eng- 
land and  the  Western  Powers,  to  do  this  or  to  do 
that;  who  had  treated  the  sultan  as  an  imbecile, 
degraded,  and  defenceless  pensioner  on  his  own  for- 
bearance and  mercy ;  and  had  spoken  of  disposing 
of  his  dominions  and  of  his  fate,  as  things  of  tran- 
sient moment, — even  he  had  been  repeatedly  van- 
quished ;  his  proudest  armaments  had  been  routed ; 
and  all  his  most  sonorous  and  portentous  boastings 
turned  into  ridicule  and  contempt.  The  terrible 
prestige  of  Russian  omnipotence  had  fallen  to  the 
ground.  The  days  of  the  transcendent  and  un- 
clouded glory  of  the  Romanoffs  were  numbered,  and 
had  even  already  ceased  to  be  ! 

These  things  produced  their  effects  on  the  haughty 
spirit  of  Nicholas.  During  the  concluding  months 
of  the  year  1854,  he  lived  in  a  continual  state  of 
feverish  irritation,  restlessness,  and  wretchedness. 
His  nature  had  turned  to  gall,  and  bitterness  had 
become  the  prevalent  element  of  his  thoughts  and 
feelings.  It  became  dangerous  for  his  most  favoured 
ministers  to  approach  him,  unless  expressly  sent 
for.  His  despatches  to  his  generals  were  full  of  up- 
braidings;  and  his  ill-humour  became  a  matter  of 
general  and  undisputed  notoriety.  As  1855  opened, 
his  mental  malady  became  worse ;  and  it  began  to 
act  reciprocally  upon  his  physical  health.  His  manly 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  337 

features  began  to  lose  their  freshness.  His  sym- 
metrical figure  stooped,  and  became  tremulous  and 
unsteady.  That  eagle  eye,  which  had  caused  so 
many  of  the  stoutest  and  bravest  of  men  to  quail 
before  him,  had  lost  its  brilliancy;  it  turned  no 
longer  boldly  and  defiantly  upward  and  around 
him,  but  dwelt  in  gloomy  and  sinister  glances  on 
the  ground.  It  was  readily  perceived,  by  those 
who  were  near  his  person,  that  an  inward  malady 
gnawed  at  the  heart  of  the  dying  czar,  which  no 
earthly  medicine  could  cure.  Even  glorious  and 
complete  victory, — now  forever  lost  to  his  shattered 
and  dishonoured  arms,— could  scarcely  cause  those 
faded  cheeks  to  bloom  again  with  their  pristine, 
roseate  hue ;  or  could  administer  a  sufficient  salvo 
to  his  wounded  pride ;  or  heal  the  mortal  diseases 
of  his  mind.  Persia,  Poland,  Turkey,  and  myriads 
of  unknown  and  unrecorded  wretches,  to  whose 
desolate  spirits  happiness  had  forever  become  a  for- 
bidden word,  through  the  relentless  tyranny  which 
he  had  exercised  toward  them  in  the  day  of  his 
stupendous  power  and  pride, — now  were  they  all 
abundantly  avenged ! 

During  the  months  of  January  and  February, 
1855,  Nicholas  had  been  suffering  under  a  myste- 
rious disease,  caused  by  mental  excitement ;  which 
resembled,  in  its  leading  symptoms,  more  than  any 

29 


338  TTTE   LIFE    AND   REIGN 

thing  else,  an  attack  of  pulmonary  apoplexy.  The 
apoplectic  features  of  his  disease  were  caused  by  his 
long-continued  and  intense  mental  excitement.  The 
pulmonary  affection  resulted  from  the  congestion 
of  his  lungs,  which  had  been  gradually  superin- 
duced by  his  absurd  habit  of  tight-lacing, — a  habit 
which  prevails  extensively  among  Russian  military 
officers,  and  is  supposed  to  add  symmetry  and  ele- 
gance to  the  figure.  A  similar  consequence  is  not 
unfrequent,  from  the  same  cause,  among  others  who 
indulge  in  it. 

While  in  this  state  of  nervous  excitement,  as  well 
as  depression,  Nicholas  received  news  of  the  defeat 
of  the  Russians  in  their  attack  on  Eupatoria.  .This 
city  was  defended  by  28,000  Turks,  under  Omar 
Pacha.  According  to  the  orders  of  Mcholas,  it  was 
attacked  by  Menschikoff,  with  40,000  infantry  and 
cavalry.  His  army  advanced  within  twenty  yards 
of  the  ditch ;  but  the  heroic  and  desperate  resistance 
made  by  the  Turks  compelled  them  to  retire  in  con- 
fusion. Unable  to  withstand  the  terrible  and  well- 
directed  fire  of  the  garrison,  the  Russian  troops  fled 
in  disorder  from  the  field.  The  loss  of  the  Rus- 
sians, in  killed  and  wounded,  was  very  severe ;  and 
the  whole  affair  was  an  ignominious  and  disgraceful 
defeat  to  the  arms  of  the  czar.  This  disaster  was 
the  last  of  which  Nicholas  was  destined  to  hear. 


OF    NICHOLAS    THE    FIRST.  339 

His  end  rapidly  approached.  His  disease  was  fear- 
fully aggravated  by  the  news  of  this  defeat  at  Eupa- 
toria ;  and  about  the  25th  of  February,  1855,  he  was 
compelled  to  retire  to  his  bed. 

lie  immediately  sent  for  his  physicians,  and  de- 
manded an  undisguised  exposition  of  his  physical 
condition.  He  was  informed  that  he  could  survive 
but  a  very  few  days  longer.  He  received  the  infor- 
mation with  unflinching  fortitude,  and  at  once  re- 
signed himself  to  his  inevitable  doom.  He  sent  for 
the  ministers  of  his  cabinet ;  they  gathered  around 
his  bed,  and  he  gave  them  his  explicit  instructions 
in  reference  to  the  affairs  of  their  various  bureaux, 
on  the  occasion  of  his  death.  He  designated  his 
eldest  son,  Alexander,  as  his  successor,  and  ex- 
pressed his  confident  belief  that  his  ministers  would 
serve  his  successor,  as  faithfully  as  they  had  served 
himself. 

The  next  day  he  held  an  interview  with  the  Grand 
Duke  Alexander,  his  successor.  He  explained  to 
the  prince,  at  some  length,  the  policy  which  had 
guided  him  during  his  past  reign,  and  especially 
during  the  progress  of  the  war  in  the  East.  He 
enjoined  upon  him  to  assert  and  maintain  the  same 
principles  during  his  own  reign ;  and  never  to  con- 
clude any  treaty  or  arrangement  in  hostility  to  those 
principles.  He  informed  the  Grand  Duke,  that  he 


THE    LIFE    AXD   REIGN 

.  • 

had  prepared  complete  memoranda  for  the  guidance 
of  his  future  conduct,  suited  to  all  the  possible  con- 
tingencies of  the  war.  He  conjured  him  never  to 
depart  from  the  directions  contained  in  those  memo- 
randa ;  but  to  marshal  all  the  resources  of  his  em- 
pire to  enforce  their  execution,  as  completely  as  if 
he  himself  still  lived,  to  guide  the  helm  of  the  ship 
of  state  through  the  storms  which  now  raged  so 
furiously  around  her.  To  all  these  solemn  injunc- 
tions, the  amiable  grand  duke  promised  the  most 
faithful  obedience. 

On  the  day  preceding  his  death,  the  emperor  sum- 
moned around  him  his  august  family.  The  parting 
scene  between  the  dying  autocrat  and  his  affec- 
tionate relatives,  was  peculiarly  affecting ;  and  those 
appalling  eyes,  so  long  unused  to  the  melting  mood, 
did  weep  abundant  tears  at  his  approaching  separa- 
tion, from  those  whom  alone  on  earth  he  loved  with 
the  ordinary,  yet  intense,  instincts  of  humanity. 

At  length,  having  concluded  this  painful  scene, 
the  emperor  called  for  the  last  succors  of  religion. 
They,  were  administered  to  him  by  the  archbishop 
of  St.  Petersburg ;  and  they  were  received  with 
an  expression  of  devout  and  grateful  appreciation. 
During  his  whole  life,  the  czar  had  ever  been  loud 
in  his  professions  of  orthodox  piety;  and  hence 
these  last  religious  observances  were  but  in  con- 


OP   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  341 

sistcncy  with  his  long  continued  conduct  pre- 
viously. 

Having  performed  this  last  duty,  Nicholas  quietly 
disposed  himself  to  die.  Impressed  with  the  so- 
lemnity of  his  situation,  his  last  hours  seemed  to  be 
employed  in  serious  thought  and  devotion.  His 
sufferings  were  very  intense;  yet  he  met  his  fate 
bravely  and  calmly,  in  perfect  consistency  with  his 
previous  character  as  exhibited  during  his  whole 
life.  At  length,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1855,  sur- 
rounded by  his  weeping  family,  and  by  a  few  at- 
tached attendants  of  the  imperial  household,  this 
strong,  stern,  powerful  man  closed  his  eyes  forever 
on  this  sublunary  world,  over  whose  destinies  he 
had  exercised  so  long  and  so  deleterious  an  in- 
fluence. He  died  in  the  fifty -ninth  year  of 
his  age. 

The  report  of  his  sudden  death  filled  the  civilized 
world  with  astonishment;  and  it  may  also  with 
truth  be  said,  excepting  his  own  dominions  and  that 
of  Prussia,  with  exultation.  As  the  sole  and  direct, 
cause  of  the  war  in  the  East,  men  regarded  his  dis- 
solution as  a-  retribution  from  heaven,  for  his  insa- 
tiable and  unprincipled  ambition;  and  they  thought 
that  it  was  just  that  he,  who  had  become  the  mes- 
senger of  death  to  so  many  myriads,  during  the 

thirty  years  of  his  reign,  should  himself,  at  a  pre- 
29* 


THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

mature  age,  taste  the  bitterness  of  that  cup,  which 
he  had  compelled  them  to  experience. 

As  soon  as  the  death  of  Mcholas  I.  was  known, 
the  Grand  Duke  Alexander  was  proclaimed  as  the 
second  of  that  name.  The  obsequies  of  the  late 
czar  were  performed  with  extraordinary  pomp  at 
St.  Petersburg.  Alexander  II.  quietly  succeeded  to 
the  possession  of  the  throne  of  all  the  Russias ;  and 
his  accession  was  soon  acknowledged  by  the  powers 
of  Europe,  which  were  not  involved  in  the  conflict 
in  the  East.  True  to  the  belligerent  instructions  left 
behind  him  to  his  successor,  by  Nicholas,  Alexander 
n.  determined  to  continue  the  war,  and  to  insist 
upon  the  exorbitant  demands  already  made  by  his 
predecessor,  without  any  alteration  or  abatement. 
The  bright  hopes  which  so  suddenly  sprang  up  in 
the  minds  of  millions,  like  the  auspicious  dawn  of  a 
glorious  and  peaceful  day,  on  the  death  of  Nicho- 
las, were  destined  to  be  sadly  disappointed ;  and  the 
storms  of  war  still  continued  to  throw  their  gloomy 
pall  over  the  troubled  horizon  of  the  East. 

The  situation  of  Sevastopol  is  admirably  adapted 
for  a  great  military  and  naval  position.  It  is  built 
on  the  southern  bank  of  a  large  inlet  of  the  sea, 
which  is  four  miles  in  length,  from  its  entrance  to 
its  termination  at  Inkerman.  The  breadth  of  the 
entrance  is  1100  yards.  The  banks  of  this  inlet 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST. 

are  surmounted  by  those  massive  fortresses,  whose 
attack  and  defence  have  given  such  celebrity  to  the 
war  in  the  East.  The  commercial  portion  of  the 
town  is  situated  west  of  the  Military  Bay  which 
divides  Sevastopol  into  two  nearly  equal  parts. 
Here  are  many  handsome  streets,  fine  edifices,  and 
beautiful  churches.  In  the  military  portion  of  the 
city,  there  are  erected  enormous  arsenals,  store- 
houses, barracks,  and  hospitals.  The  entire  city 
occupies  a  space  about  three  miles  long,  and  two 
miles  wide.  Fort  Quarantine,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbour,  is  an  immense  fortress.  Fort  Alexan- 
der, a  short  distance  farther  up  the  inlet,  mounted 
84  guns.  Opposite  to  it,  on  the  northern  shore,  Fort 
Constaritine  was  armed  with  104  guns,  in  three  tiers. 
Fort  Sevastopol  mounted  87  guns;  Fort  Nicholas 
contained  192  guns;  Fort  Paul  was  furnished  with 
a  battery  of  80  guns ;  Fort  Catherine  held  120  guns ; 
while  the  Mamelon,  the  Malakoff',  and  the  Great 
Redan  bristled  with  hundreds  of  cannon  of  the 
heaviest  calibre.  Altogether,  about  1000  guns  pre- 
sented their  formidable  array  against  the  attacking 
foe,  protected  by  fortresses  of  vast  size,  height,  and 
strength. 

We  will  not  follow  the  details  of  this  memorable 
siege ; — a  siege,  which  we  may  term,  without  exag- 
geration, one  of  the  most  remarkable  recorded  in 


THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

history.  Passing  by  the  numerous  details  of  minor 
conflicts  and  assaults,  as  not  included  within  the 
legitimate  object  of  this  portion  of  our  work,  which 
designs  to  trace  the  general  effects  and  ultimate  re- 
sults of  the  power  and  influence  of  Nicholas, — we 
will  come  to  the  final  and  grand  assault  upon  the 
fortresses  of  Sevastopol,  which  commenced  on  the 
5th  of  September,  1855. 

After  the  death  of  Lord  Raglan,  General  Simpson 
had  been  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  General 
Canrobert,  on  the  plea  of  ill  health,  had  retired  from 
the  supreme  command  of  the  French  forces,  and 
General  Pelissier  had  been  promoted  to  his  place. 
A  large  body  of  Sardinian  soldiers  had  joined  the 
allied  armies  before  Sevastopol,  and  their  numbers 
served  to  aid  in  accomplishing  the  immensely  diffi- 
cult task  before  them. 

The  whole  months  of  July  and  August  were  em- 
ployed in  making  constant  preparations  for  renew- 
ing the  attack,  upon  a  scale  of  magnitude  and  im- 
portance hitherto  unheard  of,  in  the  annals  of  sieges. 
Mortars  of  colossal  size  were  brought  up  to  the  fror.t 
of  the  lines.  Cannon  of  prodigious  strength  and 
calibre  were  thickly  strewed  in  front  of  the  Russian 
battlements;  and  an  inexhaustible  quantity  of  am- 
munition was  prepared,  and  made  ready  for  use. 
During  the  long  tedious  months  of  a  memorable 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  345 

year,  the  allied  armies  had  toiled,  with  stupendous 
exertions,  before  the  huge  works  of  Sevastopol ;  and 
now  those  brave  soldiers  were  determined  to  bring 
the  desperate  and  exhausting  conflict  to  a  termina- 
tion. A  struggle  for  the  final  mastery  of  the  place, 
of  the  most  tremendous  fierceness  and  fury,  was 
about  to  occur ;  and  to  decide  forever  the  possession 
of  this  boasted  and  favourite  bulwark  of  Muscovite 
pomp  and  power,  in  the  southern  portions  of  their 
dominions. 

During  the  progress  of  the  siege,  several  very 
remarkable  characters  had  been  developed,  whose 
celebrity  was  entirely  owing  to  the  great  facilities 
afforded  by  this  contest  for  the  display  of  their 
peculiar  qualities  and  talents.  On  the  side  of  the 
Russians,  the  most  distinguished  person  was  Gene- 
ral Totleben,*  to  whose  superior  talents  as  an  en- 

*  Francis  Edward  Totleben  was  born  at  Mitau,  in  Courland,  on  the 
20th  of  May,  1818.  His  father  was  J.  H.  Totleben,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  A.  Sophia  Sander.  His  father,  having  removed  his 
business  to  Riga,  took  thither  his  young  son,  and  soon  after  died. 
After  receiving  the  first  portion  of  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Riga,  the  young  Totleben  was  admitted  to  the  college  of  engineers  in 
St.  Petersburg,  where  his  name  now  shines,  engraved  in  letters  of 
gold,  with  the  inscription,  "  Sevastopol."  When  the  war  broke  out 
he  was  second  captain  in  the  corps  of  field-engineers ;  he  distinguished 
himself  under  General  Schilders  in  the  Danubian  campaign,  and  then 
repaired  to  the  Crimea.  What  he  did  at  Sevastopol  belongs  to  history. 
Out  of  an  open  city  he  succeeded  in  raising,  under  the  enemy's  fire,  a 
formidable  fortress,  that  resisted  for  nearly  a  year  the  gigantic  efforts 


346  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

gineer,  the  prolonged  resistance  of  Sevastopol  against 
the  allies,  is  to  be  in  a  great  measure  ascribed.  lie 
strengthened  the  existing  works.  He  erected  others, 
with  a  degree  of  rapidity  and  skill  which  astounded 
even  the  most  experienced  and  able  of  the  Russian 
officers ;  and  he  directed  the  attack  and  defence  of 
the  artillery  with  the  utmost  ability.  His  name  has 
become  immortal  in  connection  with  the  sanguinary 
story  of  Sevastopol. 

Another  remarkable  character  developed  in  this 
siege,  and  which  has  become  adorned  with  imperish- 
able lustre,  of  a  very  different  and  nobler  character, 
is  that  of  Florence  ^Nightingale  ;*  a  young  English 

of  the  allied  armies.  In  less  than  a  year  he  passed  through  the  grades 
of  captain,  lieutenant-colonel,  full  colonel,  major-general,  adjutant- 
general,  and  received,  among  other  distinctions,  the  decoration  of  the 
4th,  and  then  of  the  3d  class  of  the  order  of  Saint  George,  which  is 
only  conferred  for  distinguished  deeds.  Seldom  has  a  mere  general 
of  brigade  received  this  high  distinction.  Besides  himself,  it  was  only 
conferred  on  his  noble  companion-in-arms  at  Sevastopol,  Prince  Was- 
siltchikoff,  who,  more  fortunate  than  he,  was  able  to  remain  at  his 
post' to  the  last  hour,  whereas  Totleben,  having  been  wounded  in  the 
foot,  had  to  be  carried  out  of  the  besieged  city.  Strange  to  say,  so 
rapid  a  promotion  has  not  excited  the  least  envy,  but  has  been  saluted 
with  acclamations,  as  being  due  to  real  merit — to  courage  combined 
with  genius. 

*  Florence  Nightingale,  one  of  the  most  devoted  of  her  sex,  and  one 
of  the  bravest  and  tenderest  of  human  souls,  undertook  the  grave  task' 
of  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  the  dying  heroes.  To  the  Right  Hon. 
Sidney  Herbert,  the  secretary  at  war,  is  due  the  credit  of  suggesting 
to  Miss  Nightingale  the  idea  of  forming  a  corps  of  experienced  female 
nurses,  and  of  proceeding  to  Scutari,  to  supersede  the  incompetent 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  347 

lady,  whose  Howard-like  benevolence  of  character, 
united  with  her  extraordinary  intrepidity,  induced 
her  to  visit  the  scene  of  this  terrible  conflict,  and  de- 
vote herself  to  the  difficult  and  dangerous  work  of 
nursing  the  sick  and  wounded,  in  the  camp  of  the 
allied  armies.  The  thanks  and  benedictions  of  hun- 
dreds whom  she  has  saved  from  greater  suffering, 

"  orderlies."  But  a  woman  of  less  devotion  might  well  have  shrunk 
from  such  a  duty.  Florence  Nightingale,  however,  at  once  responded 
to  the  invitation,  and  accepted  as  her  mission  a  task,  the  performance 
of  which  demanded  not  only  the  utmost  energy  of  body  and  activity 
of  mind,  but  a  self-denying  zeal  rarely  witnessed  in  these  later  days. 
As  pre-eminently  the  heroine  of  the  war,  this  admirable  woman 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Still  young,  very  little  more 
than  thirty,  her  earlier  years  had  been  passed  amid  all  the  luxuries 
and  refinements  of  opulence.  Her  family  was  wealthy,  and  her 
paternal  home  was  a  noble  mansion  among  the  hills  of  Derbyshire. 
As  the  young  Florence  grew  to  womanhood,  she  became  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  the  subject  of  hospital-management, 
and  took  advantage  of  a  Continental  tour  to  inspect  and  become 
familiarly  acquainted  with  the  principal  establishments  for  the  care 
of  the  sick  throughout  Europe.  On  her  return  she  projected  an  in- 
stitution for  the  support  of  aged  and  infirm  governesses,  who  could 
no  longer,  from  failure  of  bodily  health  or  advance  of  years,  maintain 
themselves.  She  succeeded  in  establishing  the  institution,  an(J  en- 
tirely devoted  herself  to  its  management.  Henceforward,  her  mission 
was  decided ;  and  renouncing  all  the  attractions  and  personal  advan- 
tages offered  by  her  social  position,  this  elegant  and  accomplished 
young  woman  devoted  herself  to  the  work  of  assuaging  the  misfor- 
tunes of  her  less  happy  sisters.  From  this  duty — always  repugnant 
•from  its  very  nature,  often  unthankful — she  was  only  called  by  the 
still  stronger  claim  of  the-  perishing  warriors  in  the  East.  With  cha- 
racteristic promptitude,  she  soon  formed  a  body  of  nurses,  some,  like 
herself,  ladies  who  emulated  her  own  example,  some  paid  and  prac- 
tised hospital  attendants ;  but  all  of  them  possessing  real  knowledge 


THE   LIFE   AND    REIGN 


and  from  death,  will  attend  her  memory,  while  their 
lives  endure  ;  and  wise  and  good  men,  in  every  clime, 
will  regard  her  virtues  and  her  labours,  with  that 
undying  admiration  which  they  so  richly  deserve. 


of  their  duties,  and  of  proved  ability  and  experience.  No  mere 
amateurs,  who  might  mistake  kindly  feeling  and  zeal  for  aptitude, 
were  admitted,  but  only  those  to  whom  suffering  and  death  were  fa- 
miliar objects,  and  who  had  given  evidence  of  the  possession  of  nerve 
adequate  to  support  the  trying  scenes  they  would  encounter,  and  of 
unwearying  patience  and  kindness  to  the  sufferers. — See  "Sevastopol," 
by  Emerson:  London,  1855. 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  A  FINAL  ASSAULT  ON  SEVASTOPOL THE  BATTLE 

OF  TCHERNATA RESULTS  OF  THE  BATTLE — COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE 

GRAND  ASSAULT — THE  SECOND  DAY THE  THIRD  DAY CAPTURE  OF 

THE  MALAKOFF THE  FAILURE  OF  THE  ENGLISH  ATTACK  ON  THE 

REDAN  —  THE  RUSSIANS  EVACUATE  THE  SOUTHERN  PORTION  OF  SE- 
VASTOPOL— STUPENDOUS  VICTORY  OF  THE  ALLIES — HOSPITAL  SCENES 
IN  SEVASTOPOL. 

DURING  the  interval,  employed  by  the  allies  in 
making  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  final  as- 
sault on  Sevastopol,  the  Russians  seemed  to  have 
suspected,  or  ascertained,  their  purpose ;  and  in 
order  to  render  their  coming  attack  less  effective 
and  formidable,  Menschikoff  determined  to  try 
once  more  the  effect  of  a  grand  attack  upon  the 
position  of  the  allies.  This  resolution  resulted  in 
the  third  and  last  conflict  upon  that  position  which 
occurred  between  the  belligerents.  The  first  was 
the  battle  of  Balaklava;  the  second  was  that  of 
Inkerman ;  the  third,  and  not  the  least  important, 
was  that  of  the  Tchernaya. 

On  this  occasion  Prince  Gortschakoff  led  the  at- 
tack in  person.  In  the  early  dawn  of  the  16th  of 

30 


THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

August,  30,000  Russians,  supported  by  160  cannon, 
issued  from  the  works  of  Sevastopol,  and  approached 
the  hills  of  Tchernaya.  They  carried  pontoons,  and 
appliances  for  crossing  the  stream  bearing  that  name, 
which  was  also  spanned  by  two  bridges.  The  Rus- 
sians first  succeeded  in  throwing  several  divisions 
across  the  river ;  and  in  attacking  the  extreme  left 
of  the  French  line,  commanded  by  General  Camon. 
They  also  advanced  across  the  bridges,  and  attacked 
the  20th  regiment  of  the  line.  The  attack  and  the 
resistance  were  furious.  The  97th  regiment  of 
French  chasseurs  arrived  in  time  to  the  assistance 
of  the  20th;  and  the  Russians  were  driven  back 
over  the  bridge.  As  they  passed  it,  the  Sardinian 
artillery  drove  a  flood  of  iron  hail  through  the  mass 
of  living  flesh,  and  the  havoc  made  by  them  was 
fearful. 

The  advancing  Russians  on  the  right  of  the 
French  position,  attacked  the  latter  under  General 
Fancheux  with  such  prodigious  fury,  that  the  latter 
was  compelled  slowly  to  retreat,  until  he  reached 
the  summit  of  the  hill.  There  the  French  re-formed, 
and  charged  down  upon  the  Russians  with  such 
desperate  energy,  that  the  latter,  in  turn,  fled  in 
confusion  toward  the  bridge  of  Traktir.  While  that 
bridge  was  choked  with  the  tumultuous  mass,  the 
Sardinian  batteries  were  opened  upon  them,  and,  as 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  351 

in  the  other  instance,  the  most  dreadful  havoc  was 
effected  among  them.  Toward  evening  the  Russian 
commander  slowly  drew  off  all  his  forces  from  the 
field.  His  losses  were  tremendous.  He  left  behind 
him  3000  dead,  and  5000  wounded.  Among  the 
dead  was  General  Read,  a  distinguished  Russian 
officer,  on  whose  person  the  allies  found  a  complete 
plan  of  the  attack.  The  allies  lost  300  killed,  and 
1200  wounded. 

The  desperate  purpose  of  the  Russians  in  this 
movement,  was  therefore  not  accomplished,  and  on 
the  5th  of  September,  there  opened  on  the  batteries 
of  Sevastopol,  the  most  terrific  assault  ever  recorded 
in  the  sanguinary  annals  of  sieges  and  battles.  The 
approaches  had  been  brought  so  close  to  the  Russian 
works,  in  many  places,  that  a  stone  might  easily 
have  been  thrown  from  the  one  into  the  other.  At 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  this  memorable  day, 
the  signal  for  the  general  attack  was  given,  by  the 
discharge  of  three  fougasses  against  the  counter- 
scarp of  the  Central  Bastion ;  and  instantly,  along 
the  whole  line  of  the  works  of  the  besiegers,  extend- 
ing four  miles  in  length,  a  prodigious  deluge  of  shot 
and  shell  was  poured  upon  the  works  of  Sevastopol, 
•accompanied  with  a  tremendous  roar  and  thunder, 
which  shook  the  very  earth,  which  reverberated  for 
many  miles,  and  which  wreathed  in  volcanic  fires, 


S52  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

amid  the  early  darkness  of  morning,  the  whole 
horizon  around. 

The  garrison  of  Sevastopol  was  evidently  taken 
by  surprise.  For  some  minutes  they  could  make  no 
answer  to  this  infernal  salute ;  but  after  the  lapse  of 
a  short  interval,  their  guns  began  to  reply.  During 
that  entire  day,  the  bombardment  was  incessantly 
continued ;  and  when  night  arrived,  serious  damage 
had  been  effected  against  the  battlements,  and  por- 
tions of  the  town  had  been  set  on  fire. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  the  attack  was  renewed, 
if  possible  with  greater  vigour  than  before.  When 
the  morning  dawned,  the  effect  of  the  preceding 
day's  bombardment  was  apparent.  The  Malakoff 
had  suffered  greatly.  Large  portions  of  the  abattis 
had  been  swept  away.  Many  of  the  embrasures 
were  destroyed.  The  city  of  Sevastopol  itself  was 
almost  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  storm  of  shot  and  shell 
to  which  its  edifices  had  been  exposed,  had  deso- 
lated and  destroyed  its  fairest  and  best  portions. 
The  ships  in  the  harbour  were  found  to  be  on  fire ; 
and  an  explosion,  during  the  course  of  the  6th,  took 
place  in  a  Russian  magazine,  which  effected  terrible 
havoc  and  destruction.  During  the  whole  of  the 
6th,  the  bombardment  incessantly  continued;  nor 
was  it  suspended  for  a  moment,  during  the  whole 
succeeding  night.  The  7th  had  been  appointed  as 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  353 

the  day  for  the  last  grand  assault ;  and  no  interval 
was  given  to  the  besieged,  to  prepare  for  the  terrific 
encounter. 

At  length  the  memorable  7th  of  September 
dawned; — a  day  pregnant  with  the  forthcoming 
destinies  and  disasters  of  myriads  of  human  beings. 
The  allied  commanders  had  arranged  the  plan  of 
attack  as  follows : — The  French  were  to  assault  the 
immense  tower  of  the  Malakoif.  The  English  were 
then  to  throw  themselves  on  the  Great  Redan.  The 
right  attack  on  the  Little  Redan  was  to  be  simul- 
taneous with  this.  The  assault  on  the  extreme  left 
was  to  be  conducted  by  five  regiments  of  French 
chasseurs  and  Zouaves.  On  the  right,  General 
D'Autremarre,  together  with  Mel's  and  Breton's 
brigades,  were  to  attack  and  seize  the  Mast  Bastion. 
The  Sardinians  were  to  aid  in  this  last  movement. 
Ten  regiments  of  reserve  were  posted  in  a  proper 
position  to  watch  the  Russian  army  of  reserve,  in 
case  the  latter  might  attempt  a  diversion  in  favour 
of  the  assaulted  works. 

At  twelve  o'clock  on  the  7th,  the  French  troops 
advanced  from  their  trenches,  toward  the  MalakofE 
The  previous  fire  of  three  days  had  silenced,  at  this 
time,  nearly  all  the  guns  of  this  vast  fortress ;  and 
the  French  troops  had  but  little  difficulty  in  reach- 
ing its  summit  with  their  ladders,  and  leaping  into 

30* 


354  THE    LIFE   AND   REIGN 

the  interior  of  the  works.  Then  followed  a  despe- 
rate and  bloody  conflict.  General  Bosquet,  who 
commanded  the  French,  was  severely  wounded,  and 
was  compelled  to  retire  to  the  camp.  After  pro- 
digious struggles,  repeatedly  renewed  by  the  Rus- 
sians, to  expel  the  French  from  the  Malakoff,  the 
former  were  compelled  to  retreat,  and  to  leave  this 
vast  fortress  in  the  possession  of  its  heroic  as- 
sailants. 

The  order  was  now  given  for  the  English  troops 
to  advance  to  the  assault  on  the  Redan.  Between 
the  trenches  and  this  fortress  an  interval  of  240 
yards  existed,  and  the  ground  was  exceedingly 
broken.  The  Redan  had  suffered  less  from  the  pre- 
vious bombardment,  and  nearly  all  its  guns  were  yet 
mounted  and  effective.  .They  poured  a  terrible 
shower  of  shot  on  the  advancing  English,  already 
sufficiently  broken  by  the  roughness  of  the  ground. 
Many  were  killed ;  and  when,  at  length,  the  sur- 
vivors reached  the  Redan,  their  scaling-ladders 
were  found  to  be  too  short  to  reach  the  breach. 
Hundreds  were  here  massacred  by  the  guns  of  the 
Russians ;  but  soon,  in  spite  of  every  obstacle, 
the  British  soldiers  began  to  enter  the  broken 
works.  But  here  their  greatest  danger  and  disaster 
commenced.  An  inner  work  commanded  the  posi- 
tion thus  entered  by  the  English,  and  the  Russian 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  355 

guns  from  it  poured  death  into  the  serried  ranks  of 
the  assailants,  confined  in  the  narrow  space  of  the 
exterior  walls.  For  two  hours  a  dreadful  conflict 
here  ensued  between  the  desperate  combatants; 
and  Colonel  "Windham,  who  commanded  the  Eng- 
lish, achieved  prodigies  of  valour,  which  have  ren- 
dered his  name  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in 
connection  with  this  memorable  siege.  At  length, 
the  English  were  entirely  and  completely  repulsed 
from  the  Redan,  in  spite  of  their  heroic  efforts  and 
sacrifices. 

The  French  attack  on  the  Little  Redan  and  Cen- 
tral bastions  were  not  more  successful.  Again  and' 
again  their  desperate  courage  won  these  works ;  and 
as  often,  the  Russians,  more  desperate  than  they, 
by  prodigious  exertions,  repossessed  them.  Night 
settled  down  at  last  upon  the  sanguinary  and  awful 
scene.  The  attack  was  to  be  renewed  on  the  8th, 
and  doubtless,  it  would  have  been  successful.  The 
evidence  of  this  is  the  fact  that  the  Russian  com- 
mander himself  considered  it  thus ;  and  hence,  dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  Tth  of  September,  Menschikoff 
quietly  evacuated  all  the  forts  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  city.  "When  morning  broke,  flames  arose 
from  every  quarter.  Long  lines  of  troops  might 
still  be  seen,  crossing  the  bridges  which  led  to  the 
northern  portion  of  the  town.  Soon  tremendous 


356  THE   LIFE   AND   REIGN 

explosions  rent  the  air.  Fort  after  fort,  bastion 
after  bastion,  exploded.  The  ships  in  the  har- 
bour, one  after  the  other,  began  to  sink;  and  the 
astounded  allies  saw,  as  it  were,  the  formidable  for- 
tresses of  rock  and  iron  and  wood,  crumbling  and 
disappearing  through  a  mysterious  agency,  before 
their  eyes,  and  from  their  grasp.  Had  the  Russian 
commander  not  been  disappointed  in  the  springing 
of  some  of  the  mines  which  he  had  constructed  be- 
neath the  fortresses  of  Sevastopol,  after  his  defeat 
and  its  capture,  it  is  probable  that  every  one  of 
them,  on  the  southern  side,  would  have  become  a 
mouldering  ruin ;  and  would  have  buried  beneath 
their  shapeless  masses  thousands  of  their  unfortu- 
nate assailants.  Fortunately,  the  savage  purposes 
of  Menschikoff  were  defeated,  to  some  extent,  by 
accident  and  by  the  neglect  of  his  agents. 

During  this  last  bombardment,  the  English  lost 
400  killed,  and  about  2000  wounded.  The  French  • 
lost  about  2000  killed,  and  5000  wounded  and  miss- 
ing. The  Russians  lost  2600  killed,  7000  wounded, 
and  1700  missing.  Between  the  battle  of  Tcher- 
naya  and  this  last  assault,  their  losses  amounted  to 
18,000  men. 

This  memorable  siege,  of  one  of  the  strongest 
fortresses  in  the  world,  lasted  about  one  year.  At 
least  100,000  men  perished,  from  wounds,  priva- 


OP   NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  357 

tions,  and  diseases,  within  and  around  its  walls. 
The  besieging  army  mounted  800  guns,  and  fired 
1,600,000  rounds  of  shot.  The  open  trenches 
covered  an  extent  of  fifty-four  English  miles,  in  the 
different  parallels.  Facts  like  these  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  vastness,  magnitude,  and  difficulty,  at- 
tending this  memorable  conflict;  whose  progress 
and  ultimate  issue  have  so  justly  and  so  universally 
occupied  the  absorbed  attention  of  the  whole  civil- 
ized world. 

The  allied  commanders  immediately  took  posses- 
sion of  the  works  which  they  had  won,  and  which 
had  been  deserted  by  the  enemy  in  despair.  A 
large  portion  of  the  fortresses,  together  with  all  the 
arsenals,  hospitals,  and  barracks  of  the  Russians,  also 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  The  scenes 
of  horror  presented  by  these  places,  the  last  refuge 
of  thousands  of  wounded  and  dying  Russians,  left 
behind  by  their  retreating  comrades  to  the  mercy 
of  the  allies,  beggar  all  description ;  and  fill  the  soul 
with  unutterable  disgust  of  the  pomp  and  circum- 
stance, the  grandeur  and  littleness,  the  ferocity  and 
barbarity,  of  "civilized  warfare." 

The  building  used  as  an  hospital  was  an  immense 
pile,  in  the  inside  of  the  dockyard,  at  right  angles 
with  the  line  of  the  Redan.  It  was  peculiarly  ex- 
posed to  the  action  of  shot  and  shell  bounding  over 


358  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

the  Redan ;  and  it  bore  in  its  sides,  roofs,  windows, 
and  doors,  frightful  and  numerous  proofs  of  the  se- 
verity of  the  cannonade.  In  long,  low  rooms,  sup- 
ported by  square  pillars,  arched  at  the  top,  and 
dimly  lighted  through  the  shattered  and  broken 
window-frames,  lay  the  wounded  Russians.  The 
dying  and  the  dead  were  piled  together  in  one  un- 
distinguishable  mass;  packed  as  closely  as  they 
could  be  stowed ;  some  on  the  floor,  and  others  on 
wretched  pallets  of  straw,  which  were  saturated  with 
their  blood.  The  horrid  situation  of  these  wounded 
and  still  surviving  wretches  may  be  imagined,  amid 
the  thunder  of  the  exploding  fortresses,  amid  the 
roar  of  shot  and  shell  pouring  through  the  roof  into 
the  rooms  in  which  they  lay ;  and  amid  the  crackling 
and  hissing  of  the  burning  edifices  around  them  on 
every  side.  Some  attempted  to  crawl  about,  in 
spite  of  their  wounds ;  seeking,  if  possible,  to  escape 
from  the  horrors  of  the  scene  around  them.  Others, 
rolling  to  and  fro  in  their  mortal  agonies,  uttered 
unearthly  screams;  and,  glaring  with  their  dying 
eyes  on  the  intruding  stranger,  implored  relief  from 
their  sufferings,  or  the  boon  of  a  speedy  death. 
Many,  with  legs  broken,  with  arms  shattered  to 
fragments,  with  ragged  splinters  of  bone  protruding 
through  the  raw  flesh,  with  crushed  heads  and 
bleeding  wounds,  were  writhing  in  torture,  and 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  -359 

cursing  the  severity  and  wretchedness  of  their  fate. 
Others,  again,  as  if  conscious  of  the  near  approach 
of  death,  were  praying,  and  striving  to  employ  their 
few  remaining  ^moments  in  making  preparations  to 
meet  their  Judge.  Some  of  them  presented  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  horrid  mass  of  bloody  clothing  and 
broken  bones;  and  in  other  cases,  such  shapeless 
forms  were  blackened  with  fire  and  smoke ;  yet 
they  still  moved,  and  raved,  and  suffered.  The 
bodies  of  some  were  bloated  to  a  horrible  and 
unnatural  size,  with  eyes  pressed  out  from  their 
sockets,  or  with  swollen  tongues  protruding  from 
their  mouths,  on  which  their  exposed  teeth  were 
tightly  and  painfully  compressed.  These,  and  such 
as  these,  were  the  spectacles,  fit  only  for  the  realm 
of  pandemonium,  which  were  presented  to  the  view 
of  the  victors,  after  their  herculean  task  had  been 
accomplished,  and  Sevastopol  had  fallen  into  their 
power.  These,  and  such  as  these,  were  the  calami- 
ties which  inevitably  followed,  as  the  results  of  the 
warlike  ambition  of  Nicholas;  and  it  may  truly 
be  said,  that  for  all  these  horrors  and  sufferings; 
for  all  the  endless  train  of  disasters  and  calamities 
which  were  inflicted  on  myriads  of  human  beings, 
on  the  ensanguined  plains  of  the  once  fertile  and 
happy  Crimea;  for  the  thousands  of  families  which 
were  made  desolate  by  these  rude  storms  of  war,  in 


3GO  THE    LIFE    AND   REIGN 

England,  in  France,  in  Turkey,  and  in  Russia ;  and 
for  that  immense  host  of  unpurified  souls  who  were 
suddenly  summoned  hence, — 

Cut  off,  even  in  the  blossom  of  their  sins; 
No  reck'ning  made,  but  sent  to  their  account 
With  all  their  imperfections  on  their  heads, — 

for  these  things  only  one  man  is  held  chiefly  re- 
sponsible, in  the  supreme  and  impartial  chancery 
of  Heaven ;  and  that  one  man  is  Nicholas  I.  !* 


*  The  south  side  of  Sevastopol  includes  the  Malakoff,  the  Great 
Redan,  the  Lesser  Redan,  Flagstaff  Bastion,  Central  Bastion,  Qua- 
rantine Fort,  Forts  Nicholas  and  St.  Paul,  the  Garden  Batteries,  and 
the  second  line  of  defences.  The  north  side  includes  the  great  Fort 
of  Sieverna,  called  also  the  Star  Fort ;  and  the  entrance  to  the  har- 
bour is  still  defended  by  Fort  Constantine,  with  three  tiers  of  guns, 
the  Wasp  Battery,  and  the  Telegraph  Battery. 


\ 

OF  NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  3G1 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  REPULSE  OP  THE  RUSSIANS  AT  KAR8 — VICTORY  OF  THE  ALLIES 
AT  KINBURN — VISIT  OF  CZAR  ALEXANDER  II.  TO  NIKOLAIEFF — TO 
ODESSA — HIS  RETURN  TO  ST.  PETERSBURG — THE  AMBASSADOR  FROM 
PERSIA  TO  THE  CZAR — THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY — 
THE  GRAND  DUKE  CONSTANTINE  —  CAPTURE  OF  KARS  —  GENERAL 
MOURAVIEFF. 

BY  the  fall  of  Sevastopol,  the  heaviest  blow  in 
the  war  seemed  to  have  been  struck,  and  the  most 
difficult  and  dangerous  achievement  accomplished, 
by  the  allied  armies.  The  Russians  continued  to 
bombard  the  southern  portions  of  the  town,  from 
the  batteries  still  in  their  possession.  The  Mala- 
koff,  and  the  French  quarters  in  the  western  part 
of  the  south  side,  were  attacked  with  especial 
fury.  The  injury  done,  however,  was  of  no  serious 
moment;  and,  safely  ensconsed  in  their  hardly- 
earned  bulwarks,  the  conquerors  might  defy  the  im- 
becile vengeance  of  the  humbled  foe. 

The  British  and  French  soldiers  soon  began  to 
clear  away  the  mouldering  ruins  of  the  city,  and  to 
repair  the  dismantled  fortresses.  In  the  interior 
of  the  Crimea,  disaster  followed  disaster  on  the  side 

31 


THE    LITE   AND   REIGN 

of  the  Russians.  On  the  29th  of  September,  under 
Mouravieff,  they  attacked  the  works  of  Ears,  which 
were  manned  and  defended  by  the  Turks.  After  a 
bloody  conflict  of  seven  hours,  the  assailants  were 
compelled  to  retire,  with  the  loss  of  3000  killed  and 
5000  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Turks  was  about 
700  killed  and  wounded.  The  Russians  were  com- 
pelled, for  a  time  at  least,  to  abandon  the  siege  of 
the  place.  Next  followed  the  capture  of  the  Rus- 
sian fortress  of  Kinburn  by  the  allies,  by  which  the 
whole  force  under  General  Koianovitch,  1500  in 
number,  surrendered  to  the  conquerors.  This  vic- 
tory secured  to  the  allies  one  of  the  outlets  of  the 
Dnieper. 

During  the  progress  of  these  events,  the  Emperor 
Alexander  had  been  sojourning  at  Nicolaieff  and  its 
vicinity.  The  report  of  these  continued  misfortunes 
is  said  to  have  affected  his  reason  while  at  this 
place.  His  anxiety  and  mortifications  had  superin- 
duced indications  of  the  approach  of  the  constitu- 
tional disease  of  the  Romanoffs — partial  insanity, 
accompanied  by  erysipelas — although  the  attack  was 
slight,  and  very  probably  temporary.  The  capture 
of  Kinburn  by  the  allies  was  witnessed  by  the  czar, 
and  by  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  from  one  of 
the  spires  of  Otschakow;  and  it  was  the  near  ap- 
proach of  the  hostile  army  which  induced  the  czar 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  363 

to  retire  from  Nicolaieff  toward  his  northern  capital. 
He  returned  to  St.  Petersburg,  without  delaying  at 
"Warsaw,  as  he  had  previously  intended  to  do. 

During  the  sojourn  of  the  czar  at  Odessa,  several 
incidents  of  interest  occurred.  He  received  the 
military  and  civil  employes,  and  a  deputation,  of  the 
merchants  of  Odessa,  who  were  honoured  with  the 
privilege  of  presenting  bread  and  salt  to  the  em- 
peror. He  expressed  his  firm  conviction,  that  Hea- 
ven would  grant  a  favourable  issue  to  the  war,  and 
preserve  the  power  and  territory  of  "Holy  Russia." 
He  attended  divine  worship  in  the  cathedral ;  and 
there  the  archbishop,  Innocent,  presented  to  him  the 
cross  and  the  holy  water,  and  addressed  him  with 
the  following  words :  "  Pious  sovereign  !  thou  hadst 
scarcely  put  on  the  crown  of  thy  ancestors,  when  it 
pleased  Providence  to  surround  it  with  thorns.  Our 
bodily  eyes  are  not  accustomed  to  see  such  an  orna- 
ment sparkling  on  the  head  of  kings  ;  but  the  eyes 
of  faith  see  in  it,  with  piety  and  respect,  a  souvenir 
of  the  crown  of  Christ.  Have  not,  indeed,  such 
crowrns  been  worn  by  the  most  pious  kings  and 
princes,  from  David,  Jehoshaphat,  Constantine,  Yla- 
dimir  the  Great,  to  Demetrius,  the  hero  of  the  Don, 
and  finally  thy  patron,  Alexander  Newsky  ? 

" '  Have  courage,  and  let  not  thy  soul  become 
weak  at  the  sight  of  these  smoking  brands,'  said 


THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

the  prophet  to  the  warrior-king,  Ahaz,  when  the 
two  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Assyria  united  against 
him  in  an  unjust  war.  Enter  then,  O  pious  sove- 
reign !  the  temple,  where  once  thy  august  father 
came,  in  the  depth  of  night,  to  raise  toward  Heaven 
his  thanks  for  having  escaped  the  tempest  and  ship- 
wreck: enter,  and  in  thy  turn  raise  with  us  thy 
prayers  to  the  King  of  kings,  for  the  cessation  of 
that  tempest  which  now  rages  both  on  land  and  sea. 
May  Heaven  grant  that  this  temple  may  again  see 
thee  kneeling  before  God ;  but  then  only  to  render 
acknowledgments,  and  to  give  him  thanks,  for  vic- 
tory!" 

During  the  sojourn  of  Alexander  1C.  at  Odessa,  a 
Russian  nobleman  observed,  in  conversation  with 
the  czar,  that  the  restoration  of  an  honourable  peace, 
but  only  an  honourable  one,  would  restore  the  pros- 
perity of  the  city.  Alexander  replied,  "Who  is 
there  that  does  not  desire  such  a  peace?  I,  more 
than  any  one  else." 

On  his  return  to  St.  Petersburg,  the  czar,  on  the 
9th  of  November,  issued  an  order,  by  which  that 
capital  was  declared  to  be  no  longer  in  a  state  of 
siege,  in  consequence  of  the  withdrawal  of  the  allied 
fleet  from  the  Baltic.  At  the  same  time,  he  dis- 
missed Prince  Menschikoff,  the  favourite  and  vete- 
ran servant  of  the  Czar  Nicholas,  from  his  position 


OF   NICHOLAS   TUB   FIRST.  365 

as  chief  of  his  staff',  and  appointed  General  Olden- 
burg in  his  place.  This  act  of  the  sovereign  is  re- 
garded as  a  partial  expression  of  censure  upon  the 
prince,  for  the  active  arid  belligerent  tone  displayed 
by  him  in  the  inception,  and  during  the  progress, 
of  the  war.  Immediately  on  his  return  to  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, the  youthful  czar  was  called  upon  to  give 
an  audience  to  the  ambassador  sent  by  the  Shah 
of  Persia,  to  felicitate  him  on  his  accession.  It  will 
be  remembered,  that  after  the  accession  of  Nicholas, 
among  the  many  brilliant  delegations  from  many 
sovereigns,  whose  presence  graced  the  streets  and 
palaces  of  Moscow  at  his  coronation,  the  Shah  of 
Persia  was  not  represented. 

But  on  the  accession  of  his  successor,  a  different 
spectacle  was  exhibited.  An  imposing  embassy, 
consisting  of  six  of  the  most  distinguished  person- 
ages of  the  Persian  court,  attended  by  a  numerous 
and  splendid  retinue,  waited  upon  the  czar,  and  ten- 
dered to  hini  the  congratulations  of  their  sovereign. 
Prince  Beboutoff  entertained  the  strangers  with  a 
sumptuous  banquet;  and  among  the  toasts  given, 
the  ambassador  proposed  the  health  of  the  faithful 
and  constant  ally  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  his 
highness  the  Shah  ;  and  afterward,  that  of  the  Em- 
peror of  Russia,  the  friend  and  ally  of  the  mighty 

ruler  of  Persia.     It  is  said,  that  the  Shah  and  his 

31* 


366  TIIE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

prime  minister  had  received  the  most  magnificent 
presents  from  the  cabinet  of  St.  Petersburg,  in  order 
to  induce  them  to  despatch  this  embassy  to  the  czar, 
as  a  proof  to  all  the  world,  at  this  crisis,  of  the 
peaceful  and  friendly  sentiments  entertained  by  the 
Shah  of  Persia,  toward  the  Muscovite  sovereign. 
A.  trick  of  state  policy  so  desperate  as  this,  would 
seem  clearly  to  indicate  the  presence  of  conscious 
weakness,  and  the  existing  necessity  of  employing 
every  possible  means  of  husbanding  not  only  mate- 
rial resources,  but  also  of  manufacturing  public 
opinion,  in  favour  of  the  czar. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Alexander  has  in- 
herited a  war,  the  conduct  and  progress  of  which 
shock  the  moral  sense  of  the  civilized  world,  his 
own  amiability  of  temper,  and  excellent  personal 
qualities,  have  won  for  him  general  esteem  and 
sympathy.  He  is  not  regarded  as  a  person  of  much 
decision  of  character,  or  of  much  mental  ability. 
It  is  known,  that  the  anxiety  and  toils  of  his  posi- 
tion exceed  his  intellectual  and  physical  strength; 
and  that  the  advent  of  peace  would  afford  to  none 
of  his  harassed  subjects  more  genuine  pleasure  than 
to  himself.  In  person,  he  is  -tall  and  well-propor- 
tioned ;  and  his  countenance,  with  its  symmetry, 
combines  a  shade  of  serious  melancholy. 

The  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  who  is  the  favourite 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE   FIRST.  367 

of  the  old  Russian  parly  in  the  nation,  is  much 
better  adapted  to  bearing  the  burden  of  empire. 
He  is  a  man  of  violent  character,  passionate  and 
obstinate.  He  resembles  very  much  his  uncle,  Con- 
stantine,  the  former  sanguinary  governor  of  Poland. 
He  is  High- Admiral  of  the  Russian  fleets.  In  per- 
son he  is  short  and  stout ;  his  countenance  is  indica- 
tive of  his  disposition,  and  his  whole  personal  ap-. 
pearance  is  devoid  of  attractive  or  pleasing  qualities. 
The  present  empress,  wife  of  Alexander  H.,  is  dis- 
tinguished for  her  beauty,  amiability,  and  accom- 
plishments. She  is  beloved,  not  only  by  her  hus- 
band, but  by  her  husband's  brothers,  the  grand 
dukes;  and  by  none  of  them  more  than  by  the 
savage  Constantine  himself.  The  latter  is  said  to 
have  recently  proposed  to  the  czar  a  most  dangerous 
and  desperate  expedition.  It  was  none  other  than 
that  he  should  arm  and  equip  the  whole  fleet  of 
Cronstadt,  and  sail  to  the  attack  of  London.  He 
proposed  that  he  should  burn  and  destroy  the  capi- 
tal of  the  British  empire  by  one  sudden  and  tre- 
mendous coup-de-main,  and  thus  "carry  the  war  into 
Africa."  The  calm  good  sense  of  the  empress  dis- 
cerned the  destructive  peril  of  this  proposition ;  and 
though  it  was  urged  with  the  utmost  vehemence  by 
Constantine,  her  benignant  influence  over  the  czar 
succeeded  in  defeating  his  attainment  of  the  ap- 


368  THE    LIFE    AND    REIGN 

proval  and  permission  of  the  sovereign.  Constan- 
tine,  like  his  uncle,  has  been  made  familiar  with  the 
laws,  the  government,  the  resources,  and  even  the 
language,  of  Turkey;  in  the  expectation  that,  at 
some  future  period,  he  may  be  called  upon  to  realize 
in  his  person  the  ambitious  purpose  of  the  Romanoff 
dynasty,  that  one  of  its  members  may  yet,  in  time 
4o  come,  sit  upon  the  throne  of  the  Constantines, 
and  wield  the  sceptre  of  the  Ottoman  sovereigns. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  the  Russians,  under 
General  Mouravieff,  having  received  large  rein- 
forcements of  troops,  renewed  their  attack  on  the 
fortress  and  city  of  Kars.  The  vast  importance 
of  this  place  called  forth  the  utmost  exertions  of 
the  assailants.  The  result,  in  this  instance,  was 
more  favourable  to  the  Russians;  for  the  garrison 
capitulated,  after  a  desperate  and  bloody  conflict, 
which  continued  for  some  weeks.  And  it  is  but 
just  to  observe,  that  the  extremes  of  famine  and 
suffering",  much  more  than  the  valour  of  the  Rus- 
sians, or  the  skill  of  their  commander,  Mouravieff, 
contributed  to  the  fall  and  capture  of  this  fortress. 
For  nearly  a  month  previous  to  this  event,  the 
heroic  garrison  had  endured  the  utmost  distress, 
verging  upon  starvation  itself.  The  whole  country 
around  was  filled  with  Russian  detachments,  which 
cut  off  every  possibility  of  relief.  Sixteen  thousand 


OF   NICHOLAS   THE    FIRST.  369 

troops,  one  hundred  and  twenty  field-pieces,  and 
nine  pachas,  became  the  trophies  of  the  successful 
Mouravieff. 

This  general  is  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  distin- 
guished officers  engaged  in  the  Russian  service. 
He  was  born  in  1793 ;  entered  the  military  career 
as  officer  of  the  general  staff;  then  served  in  the 
Caucasus,  and  was  sent  by  General  Yermoloff  to 
Khiva.  On  his  return  he  published  a  narrative, 
throwing  the  first  light  which  illumined  that  hitherto 
unknown  region.  In  the  Persian  campaign  of  1828, 
he  commanded  a  brigade  under  Paskiewitch,  and 
distinguished  himself  at  Akaltsik  and  Kars,  then 
taken  by  storm.  In  the  Polish  campaign  of  1831, 
he  likewise  fought  with  much  distinction,  and  as  a 
lieutenant-general,  headed  the  right  wing  at  the 
storming  of  Warsaw.  Toward  the  end  of  1832,  he 
was  sent  as  plenipotentiary  to  Mehemed  Ali,  in 
order  to  bring  the  Egyptian  prince  to  peaceful  terms 
in  his  conflict  with  the  Porte.  The  mediation  was 
unsuccessful.  Ibrahim  Pacha,  son  of  Ali,  being 
victorious  over  the  Turks  near  Konieh,  advanced 
toward  Constantinople ;  and  Mouravieff  then  took 
the  command  of  the  Russian  troops,  who  landed  on 
the  Asiatic  side  of  the  Bosphorus,  and  stopped  the 
progress  of  the  ambitious  vassal.  In  1835,  Moura- 
vieff took  command  of  the  5th  corps  of  the  army. 


370  THE    LIFE   AND    REIGN 

In  1838,  he  fell  under  the  imperial  displeasure,  for 
having,  during  a  grand  military  manoeuvre  or  sham- 
fight  near  St.  Petersburg,  where  he  commanded 
one  side,  and  the  emperor  the  other,  un courteously 
made  his  master  prisoner.  Retiring  from  active 
service,  he  either  lived  on  his  estate,  or  travelled  in 
Europe, — travelling  being  the  resort  of  Russian  no- 
blemen when  in  disgrace.  In  1848,  he  was  again 
received  into  favour,  and  took  command  of  the 
corps  of  grenadiers,  then  considered  the  second  best 
in  the  Russian  army.  From  this  station,  after  the 
resignation  of  Prince  "Woronzoff  in  1854,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of  the  Transcaucasiau 
Russian  possessions,  and  of  the  army  in  Asia. 
Mouravieff  unites  in  his  person  all  the  character- 
istics of  his  family.  He  is  energetic  and  stubborn, 
and  is  considered  by  the  scientific  officers  of  the 
army  as  an  accomplished  general ;  indeed  he  is  by 
some  regarded  as  the  only  Russian  strategist.  As  a 
political  man,  he  is  wholly  imbued  with  the  so- 
called  orthodox,  ultra,  old-Russian  Muscovite  ideas 
and  convictions. 

After  the  capture  of  Ears,  the  Russians  were 
actively  engaged  in  improving  and  enlarging  the 
fortifications  of  the  north  side  of  Sevastopol,  until 
they  rival  or  excel,  in  strength  and  magnitude,  those 
which  have  been  already  won,  by  the  desperate 


OF   NICHOLAS    THE   FIRST.  371 

valour  of  their  foes,  on  the  south.  Nor  has  the 
firing  ceased,  on  the  part  of  the  Russians,  upon  the 
position  of  the  allies;  but  the  fury  and  vigour  of 
their  cannonading,  from  their  present  position,  have 
increased;  and  have  not  unfrequently  recalled  the 
vivid  memory  of  the  most  destructive  conflicts 
which  occurred  during  the  former  siege. 

And  we  regard  the  sentiment  as  both  so  im- 
portant and  so  true,  as  to  merit  reiteration  here : 
that  for  all  the  varied  events  connected  with  the 
war  in  the  East;  for  the  loss  of  myriads  of  human 
lives ;  for  the  poverty,  deprivation,  and  gloom, 
which  have  afflicted  many  nations;  for  the  vast 
amount  of  physical  suffering  which  has  been  en- 
dured; for  the  suspension  of  commerce;  for  the 
derangement  of  finances;  and  for  the  desolation 
of  one  of  the  fairest  countries  of  Europe, — man- 
kind are  indebted  alone  to  the  insatiable  ambition 
of  Nicholas  I. ;  to  his  unscrupulous  disregard  of  ex- 
isting treaties;  to  his  selfish  inhumanity;  and  to 
his  fixed,  though  baffled,  determination  to  set  up 
his  despotic  throne  in  the  city  of  the  sultan,  in  spite 
of  the  remonstrance,  or  even  the  resistance,  of  seve- 
ral of  the  most  powerful  nations  of  Christendom. 


32 


APPENDIX. 


No.  I. 
SCHAMYL,  PRINCE  OF  THE  CIRCASSIANS.* 

ScfHAMYL  was  born  in  1797,  at  the  aul  Himri,  and  was 
therefore  thirty-seven  years  of  age  when  he  became  chief  of 
the  Tshetshenzes.  In  early  youth  he  was  distinguished  by 
an  unbending  spirit,  a  serious  uncommunicative  manner,  an 
irrepressible  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  an  indomitable  pride 
and  ambition.  He  frequently  remained  in  seclusion  for  days 
together;  and  the  wise  mullah,  Djelal  Eddin,  managed  to 
inflame  him  in  his  enthusiasm  in  favour  of  the  Koran.  In- 
structed in  the  prevailing  doctrine  of  the  Sefatians,  he 
awakened  the  slumbering  passion  in  the  bosom  of  his  dis- 
ciple, and  prepared  him  for  his  great  future.  This  education 
had  its  fruits;  and  from  the  day  when  Schamyl  became  the 
successor  of  Hamsed  Bey,'  all  foreheads  were  abased  before 
the  countenance  of  the  master. 

Schamyl  is  also  the  worthy  head  of  the  fiery  sect  whose 
prophet  he  has  been  chosen.  He  is  of  middle  growth,  fair, 
almost  red-haired — especially  in  his  beard,  where  there  are 
also  a  few  gray  hairs, — has  gray  eyes,  a  well-formed  nose,  and 
a  little  mouth.  A  marble  calmness,  which  least  deserts  him 
in  the  hour  of  danger,  governs  his  whole  behaviour;  and  his 
speech  is  totally  free  from  excitement,  whether  conversing 

*  Extract  from  "  Circassia,"  by  Dr.  Frederick  Wagner :  London,  1853. 

375 


376  APPENDIX. 

with  friend,  foe,  or  traitor.  He  is  convinced  that  his  actions 
are  direct  inspirations  of  God:  he  eais  little,  drinks  water 
only,  sleeps  but  few  hours,  and  passes  all  his  leisure  time  in 
reading  the  Koran,  and  in  prayer;  but  when  he  speaks,  he 
has — so  says  Berek  Bey,  the  poet  of  Daghestan — 

"  Lightnings  in  his  eye,  and  on  his  lip,  flowers." 

He  is,  in  fact,  master  in  the  highest  degree  of  that  Oriental 
eloquence  which  is  so  fitted  to  rouse  the  sleeping  souls  of  the 
faithful ;  and  he  manages  to  outbid  the  Russian  generals  in 
their  metaphorical  language. 

If  the  Russians  say  that  they  are  numerous  as  the  sands  of 
the  sea,  Schamyl  replies  that  the  Circassians  are  the  waves 
that  wash  away  the  sands. 

At  first,  Schamyl  resided  in  the  little  fortress  of  Achulko, 
where  he  had  himself  a  European  house  of  two  stories,  con- 
structed by  Russian  deserters  and  prisoners.  At  first  his 
government  was  so  poor,  that  the  soldiers  had  to  supply  him 
with  the  means  of  existence;  and  yet  religious  enthusiasm 
had  rendered  him  as  powerful  as  if  he  had  possessed  tons  of 
gold.  His  slightest  word  was  sufficient,  and  his  Murids  were 
ready  to  go  to  the  death  for  him.  None  of  the  chiefs  of 
Daghestan  before  his  time  had  wielded  such  authority.  Even 
Sheikh  Mansoor,  who  carried  the  standard  of  revolt  through 
the  whole  of  Circassia, — the  mighty  hero,  the  high-minded 
sower  in  the  fertile  field  of  faith, — was  only  a  famous  and 
dreaded  warrior;  but  Schamyl  is  not  only  general  and  sultan 
of  the  Tshetshenzes,  but  also  their  prophet;  and  since  1834, 
Daghestan's  war-cry  is — "Mahornmed  was  Allah's  fi/st  pro- 
phet; Schamyl  is  his  second." 

Just  at  the  time  when  General  Grabbe  thought  he  had 
annihilated  Schamyl's  consequence  as  well  as  himself,  by  the 
storming  of  Achulko,  the  power  of  the  daring  chief  rose  to  its 
height.  Imagine  the  appearance  of  the  prophet  among  the 


SCHAMYL,  PRINCE   OF  THE   CIRCASSIANS.  377 

tribes,  just  at  the  moment  when  the  news  of  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  Achulko  was  rumoured  abroad  !  It  was  believed  that 
he  lay  buried  under  the  ruins,  and  on  a  sudden  he  stood  in 
the  midst  of  them,  as  if  arisen  from  the  dead !  His  divine 
mission  was  no  longer  doubted;  and  a  victory  could  not  have 
made  him  more  popular  than  this  heroic  defeat ! 

After  the  loss  of  Achulko,  Schamyl  determined  to  preach 
the  holy  war  to  the  Tcherkesses,  and  to  incite  them  to  join  in 
his  resistance.  A  similar  attempt  which  he  had  made  in 
1836  among  the  Avars — that  people  of  Daghestan  so  long 
subjected  to  Russia — had  not  succeeded.  He  had  hoped  to 
bring  about  an  alliance  of  the  Caucasians  of  the  Euxine  with 
those  of  the  Caspian ;  for  the  latter — with  the  sole  exception 
of  the  Avars — had  all  assembled  under  his  flag,  and  formed  a 
single  nation. 

It  would  be  possible  to  inflict  a  very  severe  blow  upon  the 
Russians  by  such  a  co-operative  union  with  the  Tcherkesses. 
Schamyl  went  to  the  Ubichs  and  the  Adechs,  and  was  re- 
spectfully received,  although  without  coming  to  any  decided 
result.  The  hatred  of  Russia  is  certainly  a  mighty  tie 
between  the  peoples  on  both  sides  of  the  Caucasus;  but  cen- 
turies of  petty  dissensions  between  the  various  tribes  have 
loosened,  this  tie,  and  loosen  it  more  and  more  every  day.  In 
addition  to  this,  there  was  another  hindrance  to  the  com- 
munity of  action  which  the  brave  chief  was  attempting  to 
bring  about,  in  the  variety  of  language  which  existed;  and 
Schamyl  was  only  understood  by  the  chiefs  and  mullahs,  as 
he  could  only  preach  the  war  in  Turkish,  and  thus  not  give 
his  eloquence  the  power  which  he  otherwise  displays. 

At  length,  especially  after  the  great  defeat  of  the  Russians 
at  Dargo,  the  Tcherkesses  of  the  Black  Sea,  fired  by  the 
report  of  Schamyl's  deeds,  attempted  on  their  part  some 
attacks  upon  the  Russians,  and  frequently  broke  through  the 
lines  of  defence  guarded  by  the  Cossacks.  They  even  took 

32* 


378  APPENDIX. 

four  fortresses }  but  contented  themselves  with  plundering, 
and  not  garrisoning  them.  Three  or  four  battles  fought  with 
great  skill  by  the  Russians  forced  the  Tcherkesses  to  retire, 
and  content  themselves  with  a  merely  passive  opposition. 

When  Prince  Woronzoff  undertook  the  command  of'  the 
Caucasus,  Schamyl  was  no  longer  the  inconsiderable  chieftain 
that  he  was  when  in  the  train  of  Hamsad  Bey.  His  power 
was  now  enormous.  The  Avars,  the  Kists,  the  Kumucks,  and 
other  tribes,  were  so  carried  away  by  the  eloquence  of  the  pro- 
phet, that  they  forgot  their  ancient  feuds  to  ally  themselves 
with  the  Lazes  and  Tschetchenzes.  Formerly  lord  over  a 
few  small  tribes,  he  was  now  commander  of  a  whole  nation. 
Of  course  it  must  be  seen  that  to  mature  such  a  combination, 
the  most  powerful  efforts  of  a  politic  and  experienced  mind 
must  have  been  employed. 

Schamyl,  however,  is  not  only  a  brave  warrior,  but  also  a 
wise  lawgiver;  and  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  be  this,  in 
order  to  create  and  organize  his  nation :  and  to  effect  this  it 
was  necessary  to  subdue  the  hereditary  chiefs  of  the  tribes,  to 
found  a  iheocratical  monarchy  amid  the  barbarianism  of  semi- 
slavery,  to  spread  the  one  faith  in  all  hearts,  to  accustom 
savage  horsemen  to  regular  tactics,  and  to  institute  enduring 
customs. 

And  this  he  accomplished.  The  new  doctrine  he  preached 
befriended  the  sects  of  Omar  and  Ali :  his  victory  dazzled  the 
sons  of  the  mountains,  and  humbled  the  pride  of  their  princes. 
The  races  who  once  combined  in  a  common  war  for  their  reli- 
gion, were  united  by  him  under  the  same  civil  administration, 
and  the  old  territorial  names  disappeared. 

At  the  present  time  the  country  under  the  government  of 
Schamyl  is  divided  into  twenty  provinces,  each  under  the 
care  of  a  naiib  or  governor.  These  na'ibs  do  not  all  posssess 
equal  power,  but  four  only  among  them — the  nearest  and 
fastest  friends  of  the  prophet — are  regarded  as  the  sovereign 


SCHAMYL,  PRINCE   OF  THE   CIRCASSIANS.          379 

commanders  of  their  subjects;  the  others  send  in  their  de- 
cisions for  confirmation  by  the  chief. 

The  organization  of  the  army  is  a  master-piece  of  acutely- 
meditated  precision,  for  it  is  constituted  in  a  way  calculated 
and  designed  to  render  possible  the  utmost  strictness  of  disci- 
pline, without  damping  the  natural  warlike  feelings  of  his 
subjects.  Every  naib  keeps  300  horsemen  at  the  disposition 
of  the  state;  and  the  conscription  is  so  conducted,  that  out 
of  every  ten  families  one  horseman  is  drawn,  and  that  family 
is  free  during  his  life  from  all  taxes,  while  the  other  nine 
have  to  furnish  his  outfit  and  sustenance. 

This  is  the  standing  army.  Besides  this,  there  is  a  kind 
of  national  guard  or  militia.  All  the  male  inhabitants  of  a 
village  are  required  to  exercise  from  their  fifteenth  to  their 
thirtieth  year  in  the  use  of  arms  and  in  riding.  Their  duty 
is  to  defend  their  villages  when  they  are  attacked,  but  when 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  they  follow  the  prophet  in  his  dis- 
tant journeys.  Every  horseman  of  the  line  then  commands 
the  ten  families  whose  representative  he  is. 

Hamsad  Bey  was  the  first  person  who  formed  a  distinct 
corps  of  Russian  and  Polish  deserters,  among  whom  there 
were  also  a  few  officers.  Schamyl  has  increased  it  to  about 
4000  strong  of  all  nations,  with  many  technical  improvements. 
But  his  body-guard  consists  of  a  thousand  picked  Murids,  who 
get  somewhere  about  six  shillings  a  month  pay,  and  a  propor- 
tion of  the  booty.  They  are  called  murtosigates,  and  it  is  a 
subject  of  emulation  in  the  villages  to, get  an  appointment  in 
this  special  body. 

Schamyl,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  the 
Oriental  mind  is  overcome  by  magnificence,  never  moves  from 
his  dwelling  without  a  train  of  500,  although  it  has  been  said 
that  it  is  from  the  motive  of  safety  as  much  as  any  thing,  as 
a  portion  of  his  empire  is  discontented  with  his  system  of 
government. 


380  APPENDIX. 

It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  Schamyl  makes  the  most 
effective  use  of  the  credulity  of  the  mountain  races.  Every 
time  that  an  important  expedition  is  about  to  be  undertaken, 
he  retires  to  a  grotto  or  a  mosque,  where  he  spends  weeks  in 
fasting  and  communion  with  Allah.  When  he  returns  from 
this  solitude,  he  announces  openly  the  result  of  intercommu- 
nication with  the  Deity. 

He  has  established  posts  throughout  all  Daghestan;  for 
state  despatches  every  village  is  obliged  to  provide  one  or  two 
additional  horses,  and  the  messengers,  who  are  furnished  with 
a  pass  signed  and  sealed  by  the  district  naiib,  get  over  great 
distances  in  almost  fabulous  time. 

In  his  military  arrangements  he  has  so  far  imitated  the 
Russians  as  to  institute  orders,  marks  of  honour,  and  distinc- 
tions of  rank.  The  leaders  of  100  men,  who  signalize  them- 
selves in  action,  receive  round  silver  medals,  bearing  appro- 
priate poetical  inscriptions ;  the  leaders  of  300  men  receive 
three-cornered  medals;  and  those  of  500,  silver  epaulets. 
Before  1842,  sabres  of  honour,  to  be  worn  on  the  right  side, 
were  the  only  marks  of  distinction  distributed.  Now  the 
leaders  of  1000  receive  the  rank  of  captain,  and  those  of  a 
larger  number  are  generals.  Cowards  are  distinguished  by  a 
piece  of  baize  on  the  arm  or  back. 

At  first,  Schamyl' s  income  consisted  only  of  the  booty,  of 
which  a  fifth  was  the  share  of  the  chief,  according  to  ancient 
custom ;  now,  however,  regular  taxes  are  levied.  The  estates 
which  formerly  were  appropriated  to  the  mosques,  and  only 
benefited  the  priests  and  derveeshes,  are  now  state  property ; 
the  priests  receive  instead  a  regular  stipend,  while  the  der- 
veeshes  fitted  for  war  are  incorporated  with  the  militia.  The 
useless  members  of  that  body  were  banished  from  Daghestan. 

The  most  distinguished  of  the  fellow-warriors  of  Schamyl 
were  Achwerdu  Mohammed,  Ahwail  Mullah,  and  Uluboy 
Mullah. 


SCHAMYL,  PRINCE    OF   THE    CIRCASSIANS.          381 

The  punishment  for  civil  as  for  military  crimes,  for  theft, 
murder,  treachery,  cowardice,  and  so  on,  are  set  down  in  a 
code  written  by  the  prophet  himself;  and  the  punishment  of 
death  is  rendered  more  or  less  severe  or  degrading  according 
to  a  fixed  ratio  of  delinquency. 

Schamyl  lives  very  moderately  and  soberly ;  he  eats  little, 
and  only  sleeps  a  few  hours  at  a  time,  and  at  some  seasons — 
especially  when  in  a  condition  of  religious  enthusiasm — not 
for  some  days  together.  He  has  only  three  wives ;  and  his 
favourite  wife  is  an  Armenian  woman — perhaps  the  cousin  of 
the  Mosdok  merchant,  who,  however,  says  he  has  only  two. 

How  far  Schamyl's  fanaticism  will  go  in  its  fearful  conse- 
quences, the  following  circumstances,  related  to  a  Russian 
officer  by  one  of  the  most  intimate  Murids  of  the  Iniauni, 
will  show : — 

In  the  year  1843,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Great- and  Little 
Tshetshna,  pressed  on  all  sides  by  the  Russian  troops,  and  left 
helpless  by  the  Laz  communities,  determined  to  send  a  de- 
putation to  Schamyl  with  the  entreaty  that  he  would  either 
send  them  a  sufficient  number  of  troops,  not  only  to  defend 
themselves,  but  also  to  drive  the  Russians  altogether  out  of 
the  Tshetshna,  where  they  had  erected  Fort  Wosdwischen- 
skaja,  and  had  seriously  established  themselves;  or,  if  this 
were  not  possible,  to  empower  them  to  submit  to  the  Russian 
government,  as  all  their  means  of  resistance  were  at  an  end. 

For  a  long  time  no  one  was  found  willing  to  undertake  so 
delicate  a  mission ;  for  to  approach  Schamyl  with  such  a  pro- 
posal was  to  dare  death  itself.  The  Tshetshenzes  were  there- 
fore forced  to  select  their  deputies  by  lot;  and  the  lot  fell 
upon  four  inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Gunoi.  Their  native 
pride  would  not  permit  the  Tshetshenzes  to  manifest  the  sen- 
timent of  fear,  even  when  in  the  most  imminent  danger ;  the 
chosen  band,  therefore,  undertook  the  mission  without  hesi- 
tation, and  promised  the  people  to  induce  the  Imauru  either 


APPENDIX. 

to  promise  military  assistance  in  their  defence  against  the 
Russians,  or  to  allow  them  to  submit  to  their  formidable 
enemies. 

The  Gunojes  departed  on  their  journey  with  determined 
courage;  but  the  nearer  they  came  to  the  aul  Dargo,  the 
louder  was  the  voice  whispering  of  self-preservation,  and  the 
stronger  the  light  which  showed  the  hazard  of  their  enter- 
prise. They  took  counsel  several  times  among  themselves 
as  to  the  best  way  they  might  begin  the  business,  without, 
however,  coming  to  a  decided  issue,  on  which  to  build  the 
slightest  fabric  of  hope.  At  last,  the  eldest  of  the  deputies, 
the  experienced  Tshetshenz  Tepi,  said,  turning  to  his  com- 
panions :  "  You  know  that  not  only  the  people  in  general,  but 
even  the  Murids  next  to  the  mighty  Imaum,  dare  not  pro- 
nounce the  words,  'Submission  to  the  giaours,'  unpunished. 
What,  therefore,  would  be  our  fate  if  we  dared  to  come  before 
the  face  of  Schamyl  with  such  words  upon  our  lips  ?  He 
would  immediately  command  our  tongues  to  be  cut  out,  our 
eyes  to  be  blinded,  or  our  heads  to  be  cut  off;  and  all  this 
would  not  benefit  our  nations  in  the  least,  but  only  desolate 
our  families.  In  order  to  avert  certain  destruction,  and  to 
gain  a  portion  of  our  desires,  I  have  thought  of  a  more 
feasible  plan." 

Tepi's  companions  urged  him  to  tell  them  this  excellent 
scheme. 

"As  I  have  heard,"  continued  Tepi,  "there  is  only  one 
person  who  possesses  undoubted  influence  over  the  Imaum, 
and  who  dares  to  say  before  him  that  which  would  bring  de- 
struction over  others ;  this  is  his  mother.  My  kunak  (host) 
Hassim  Mullah,  at  Dargo,  would  gladly  introduce  us  to  her ; 
especially  if  we  present  him  with  a  portion  of  the  money  wo 
have  brought  with  us." 

The  other  ambassadors  were  perfectly  content  with  this  pro- 
posal, and  empowered  their  comrade  to  do  as  he  thought  fit. 


SCIIAMYL,- PRINCE    OF   THE   CIRCASSIANS.          388 

On  their  arrival  in  Dargo,  they  were  hospitably  received 
by  Tepi's  kunak ;  and  Tepi  made  use  of  the  first  opportunity 
to  acquaint  Hassim  Mullah  with  the  object  of  their  mission, 
and  to  entreat  his  co-operation  in  the  proposed  manner. 

"  What !  Do  you  think/'  exclaimed  Hassim  Mullah,  thrown 
off  his  guard,  "that  I  could  be  so  dishonourable  as  to  put  my 
hand  to  so  wretched  a  business  as  a  submission  to  the 
giaours  ?" 

Tepi  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  allowed  a  handful  of 
gold-pieces  to  drop  upon  the  carpet  before  him.  Hassim 
Mullah's  countenance  changed  altogether  in  expression,  and 
he  requested  his  friend  to  tell  him  the  circumstance  once 
more,  as  he  evidently  had  misunderstood  them.  At  the 
same  time,  he  inquired  how  many  pieces  of  gold  he  had 
brought. 

"Three  hundred,"  replied  Tepi.  "All  the  tribe  subscribed 
together  to  make  up  this  sum,  to  support  our  petition.  Here 
are  seventy;  the  other  two  hundred  and  thirty  we  will  pre- 
sent to  the  khanum,  if  she  succeed  in  obtaining  her  son's  per- 
mission for  our  submitting  to  the  Russians." 

"It  is  well,"  said  Hassim  Mullah.  "I  will  speak  with  the 
khanum,  and  hope  to  obtain  for  you  what  you  desire,  if  you 
are  agreed  to  give  two  hundred  only  of  your  remaining  gold 
pieces  to  the  khanum,  and  the  other  thirty  to  me." 

The  ambassadors  were  willing  to  enter  into  this  arrange- 
ment. Hassim  Mullah  went  to  the  khanum,  an  aged  woman, 
much  beloved  on  account  of  her  charitable  deeds,  but  who  was 
herself  avaricious,  and  declared  herself  ready  to  speak  with 
her  son  about  the  matter,  the  danger  of  whicL.  she  did  not, 
however,  conceal  for  one  moment. 

The  same  evening  she  entered  her  son's  apartment,  when, 
Koran  in  hand,  he  was  despatching  the  Murids  who  were 
standing  about  him,  with  instructions  to  cause  some  other  of 
the  tribes  to  revolt. 


384  .  APPENDIX. 

Notwithstanding  this  pressing  business,  however,  from 
which  he  was  unwilling  to  be  taken,  he  gave  his  mother  the 
audience  she  so  urgently  entreated,  and  went  with  her  into  a 
room,  where  their  conversation  continued  until  past  midnight. 
It  has  never  been  accurately  known  what  passed  between 
them;  and  when  Hassim  Mullah  came  to  the  khanum  next 
morning  to  hear  what  she  had  been  able  to  do,  he  found  her 
pale,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"My  son,"  she  said,  with  a  trembling  voice,  "dares  not 
himself  to  decide  the  question  about  the  Tshetshenzes  sub- 
mitting to  the  Russians.  He  has  therefore  gone  to  the 
mosque,  to  await  the  moment  in  fasting  and  prayer,  when  the 
great  Prophet  with  his  own  mouth  will  make  his  will  known." 

Schamyl  had  indeed  shut  himself  up  in  the  mosque,  after 
giving  instructions  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Dargo  should 
assemble  round  the  mosque,  and  await  his  return  in  prayer. 

At  this  summons  all  the  people  assembled,  and  surrounded 
the  mosque  with  loud  cries  and  prayers.  But  three  days 
passed;  many  of  the  pious  sank  under  the  want  of  sleep  and 
food,  until  at  last  the  door  opened,  and  Schamyl  came  forth, 
pale  and  sorrowful.  After  whispering  a  few  words  to  the 
Murids  next  to  him,  he  ascended  the  flat  roof  of  the  mosque, 
several  persons  accompanying  him. 

Here  he  remained  standing  for  some  minutes,  while  all  the 
people  looked  up  at  him  with  anxious  looks,  and  the  deputies 
from  the  Tshetshna  scarcely  dared  to  breathe. 

Suddenly  the  Murid  sent  by  Schamyl  returned  with  the 
khanum,  and  conducted  her  also  to  the  roof  of  the  mosque. 
The  Imaum  commanded  her  to  stand  opposite  to  him,  and 
then  exclaimed,  raising  his  sad  eyes  to  heaven — 

"Great  Prophet!  thrice  holy  are  thy  behests;  thy  will  be 
done  I" 

He  then  turned  to  the  people,  and  said,  with  a  loud  voice — 

"  Inhabitants  of  Dargo !     Fearful  is  that  which  I  have  to 


SCHAMYL,  PRINCE   OF   THE   CIRCASSIANS.  385 

tell  you !  The  Tshetshenzes  have  conceived  the  horrible  idea 
of  submitting  to  the  dominion  of  the  giaours,  and  have  actually 
dared  to  send  ambassadors  here  with  their  vile  proposition. 
Well  these  deputies  knew  their  evil  doings;  therefore  they 
came  not  before  me,  but  addressed  themselves  to  my  unhappy 
mother,  who  weakly  gave  way  to  their  urgency,  and  brought 
the  desires  of  these  miscreants  before  me.  My  tender  con- 
sideration for  my  beloved  mother  induced  me  to  inquire  of 
Mohammed  himself,  the  Prophet  of  Allah,  what  his  will  might 
be.  Therefore  have  I  for  these  three  days  and  nights,  with 
fasting  and  prayers,  called  upon  the  name  of  the  Prophet, 
sustained  by  your  prayers.  He  has  esteemed  me  worthy  of  a 
reply.  But  how  horrible  for  me  was  his  decision !  Accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  Allah,  the  first  who  made  this  proposition 
known  to  me  is  to  be  punished  with  a  hundred  blows  of  the 
whip ;  and  the  first — that  I  have  to  tell  it ! — was  my  unhappy 
mother !" 

When  the  poor  old  woman  heard  her  name  mentioned,  she 
broke  into  loud  lamentations;  but  Scharnyl  was  immovable. 
The  Murids  tore  off  the  long  veil  of  the  khanum,  bound  her 
to  a  pillar,  and  Schamyl  himself  took  the  whip  to  execute  the 
dreadful  sentence.  At  the  fifth  stroke,  however,  the  khanum 
sank  to  the  ground  dead.  Schamyl  fell  at  her  feet  amid 
agonies  of  tears. 

Suddenly  he  arose  from  the  ground,  and  his  eyes  sparkled 
with  joy.  He  arose,  and  said,  solemnly — 

"  God  is  God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet !  He  has 
heard  my  prayer,  and  allows  me  to  take  upon  myself  the 
remainder  of  the  blows  to  which  my  poor  mother  was  con- 
demned. I  do  it  with  joy,  and  acknowledge  it  to  be  an  in- 
estimable mark,  0  Prophet,  of  thy  loving-kindness." 

And  rapidly  he  threw  off  his  upper  garments,  and  com- 
manded two  Murids  to  give  him  the  remaining  ninety-five 

blows.     They  did  so,  and  he  never  altered  a  muscle  of  his 

33 


386  APPENDIX. 

countenance.  After  the  last  one,  he  silently  resumed  his 
clothes,  descended  quickly  from  the  roof  of  the  mosque,  and 
standing  ainid  the  terrified  populace,  he  inquired  calmly — 

"  Where  are  the  wretches  for  whose  sake  my  mother  had  to 
suffer  this  cruel  indignation  ?  Where  are  the  deputies  from 
the  Tshetshna  ?" 

"  Here !  here  I"  resounded  from  a  hundred  voices,  and  in 
the  next  minute  the  unfortunate  persons  were  at  the  feet  of 
the  fanatical  lord. 

No  one  doubted  that  a  frightful  death  awaited  the  four 
Tshetshenzes,  and  some  Murids  drew  their  sabres  ready  for 
the  first  word  of  the  Imaum.  The  miserable  villagers  lay  flat 
with  their  faces  to  the  earth;  in  an  agony  of  terror  they 
breathed  their  dying  prayer,  and  dared  not  raise  their  heads 
to  beseech  a  pardon  they  deemed  impossible.  But  Schamyl 
himself  raised  them  up,  and  bade  them  take  courage,  saying — 

"Return  to  your  tribe,  and  for  answer  to  their  treacherous 
request,  tell  them  all  that  you  have  seen  and  heard  here." 


PRINCE   WOKONZOFF.  387 


No.  II. 

PRINCE  WORONZOFF,  GOVERNOR  OF  THE 
CRIMEA.* 

MICHAEL  WORONZOFF  was  born  in  1782,  at  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  is  the  son  of  a  distinguished  statesman,  Count 
Simon  Woronzoff,  who  subsequently  died  in  London,  whither 
he  had  been  sent  as  ambassador.  As  he  had  fallen  into  dis- 
grace after  the  death  of  Catherine  II.,  his  son  remained  some 
time  longer  in  England,  and  there  received  his  education. 
Alexander,  however,  had  scarcely  ascended  the  throne,  ere  he 
summoned  the  young  count  from  banishment,  and  appointed 
him  to  the  office  of  chamberlain.  But  a  court  life  was  not 
the  sphere  for  the  young  man,  and  he  therefore  soon  entered 
the  Caucasian  corps,  then  commanded  by  the  brave  Georgian, 
Prince  Zizianoff,  as  a  lieutenant. 

After  remaining  in  the  Caucasus  up  to  1805,  the  Prusso- 
French  war  called  him  to  Germany.  He  took  part  in  it  up  to 
the  peace  of  Tilsit.  In  1807,  war  broke  out  with  Turkey, 
and  Woronzoff  went  to  that  country  as  a  colonel.  In  1810 
and  1811,  he  distinguished  himself  considerably,  and  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  major-general.  In  1812,  Napoleon 
commenced  the  Russian  campaign;  a  peace  was  immediately 
concluded  with  Turkey,  and  the  troops  were  concentrated  to 
repel  the  enemy.  Woronzoff  also  took  part  in  the  war,  and 
after  Napoleon's  expulsion  from  Russia,  he  accompanied  the 


*  The  succeeding  Appendices  are  extracted  from  several  English  works 
not  generally  accessible  to  American  readers. 


388  APPENDIX. 

army,  in  its  onward  march  through  Germany,  to  France. 
After  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  he  went  to  England,  where 
he  always  was  fond  of  residing,  until  he  was'recalled,  in  1823, 
to  undertake  the  government  of  Bessarabia. 

Here,  in  fact,  begins  his  famous  career,  which  for  thirty 
years  he  has  pursued  in  the  service  of  the  czar.  He  was  the 
man  who  carried  out  the  plans  of  the  two  founders  of  Odessa, 
and  under  whose  administration  commerce  flourished.  In 
Woronzoff's  time  arose  the  palaces  and  dwellings  of  Odessa; 
but  he  did  not  confine  his  energy  to  his  metropolis,  but,  wher- 
ever his  power  reached,  he  worked  with  creative  zeal.  The 
lonely  steppes  to  the  north  of  the  Black  Sea,  inhabited  before 
by  restless  Noghais  and  their  cattle,  but  deserted  on  the  an- 
nexation of  the  territory  by  Russia,  again  became  full  of  peo- 
ple, although  gradually  and  sparingly.  Town  and  country 
became  inhabited;  and  the  German  colonies  about  Odessa 
rejoiced  in  a  state  of  prosperity  never  before  granted  them. 
Prince  Woronzoff  also  made  great  improvement  in  the 
Crimea.  Associating  his  efforts  with  those  of  some  other 
Russian  nobles,  he  attempted  to  win  the  south  sides  of  the 
mountains  for  agriculture.  The  colonies  of  those  regions 
cost  millions  of  silver  rubles,  especially  the  vineyards,  the 
palaces — in  a  style  between  the  Moorish  and  Gothic, — tho 
Turkish  buildings  and  fountains,  and  Italian  villas,  inter- 
spersed among  the  simple  Tartar  huts.  The  far-famed 
Southern  Crimea,  however,  will  remain  an  enemy  to  any  ad- 
vantageous culture. 

With  the  year  1845,  a  new  epoch  in  the  life  of  Woronzoff 
begins,  by  being  transported  to  a  new  field  of  action,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  ukase  by  which  the  governor-general  of  New 
Russia  and  Bessarabia,  Count  Woronzoff,  was  also  created 
governor-general  of  the  Caucasian  province  and  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  Caucasian  armies.  We  have  already  men- 
tioned the  astonishment  with  which  this  appointment  was 


PRINCE   WORONZOFF.  389 

regarded,  aud  with  the  power  placed  in  the  hand  of  one  man, 
and  one  who,  it  was  thought,  was  no  great  favourite  of  the 
czar. 

In  this  new  and  dangerous  career,  Woronzoff  first  obtained 
a  protection  against  all  interference,  by  which  Reidhart  had 
been  cramped  in  his  'enterprises,  and  demanded  for  his  own 
undertakings  complete  jurisdiction.  The  "Caucasian  Com- 
mission" of  St.  Petersburg  was  therefore  closed,  and  Woron- 
zoff was  responsible  to  the  czar  alone. 

No  long  time  elapsed  ere  he  appeared  in  Tiflis ;  but,  how- 
ever benevolent  and  kindly  he  might  appear  in  the  metropolis, 
he  was  very  severe  in  the  provinces,  and  in  a  few  weeks  a 
dozen  gallows  held  as  many  robbers — robbers  either  in  reality 
or  by  imputation. 

Of  what  kind  his  fortunes  in  war  have  been,  we  have 
already  detailed  in  the  history  of  the  war.  But  Woronzoff 
has  also  regarded  the  lands  confided  to  his  care  with  other 
eyes.  By  his  affability  he  won  the  hearts  of  the  Georgians  or 
Grusians,  who  were  by  no  means  as  faithful  subjects  of  the 
Russians  as  the  Armenians,  and  who,  but  a  few  years  before, 
sympathized  with  Russia's  enemies.  Schamyl  was  active  in 
Tsherkessia,  and  would  no  doubt  have  had  great  success,  if  the 
wily  governor-general  had  not  used  his  influence  against  him, 
and  employed  a  method  against  which  humanity  would  cer- 
tainly rebel.  Prince  Woronzoff  suspended  the  edict  prohibit- 
ing the  selling  of  Tsherkessian  girls  to  slavery  in  Turkey,  and 
believed  himself  perfectly  right  in  saving  his  conscience  by  in- 
serting a  conditional  clause,  that  the  girl  herself  must  consent 
before  she  could  be  sold.  In  fact,  Tsherkessian  girls  go  to 
Turkey,  especially  to  Constantinople,  very  willingly,  as  their 
superiority  of  intellect  usually  helps  them  to  play  a  distin- 
guished part;  and  in  later  years  they  not  unfrequently  return 
to  their  homes  with  handsome  fortunes. 

It  is,  however,  a  sad  fact,  that  this  trade  with  Circassian 
33* 


390  APPENDIX. 

and  Georgian  girls  has  its  dark  shadow  even  for  them.  The 
unfortunate  creatures  who  are  usually  "shipped"  at  Trebi- 
zond  on  board  the  steamer,  reach  Constantinople  in  a  very  sad 
and  pitiful  condition.  On  their  passage  they  are  as  jealously 
watched  as  if  they  were  casks  of  leeches  for  the  Marseilles 
market.  They  are  kept  as  much  apart  from  the  other  pas- 
sengers as  possible,  and  they  huddle  together  on  the  main 
deck,  in  their  dirty  clothes,  like  so  many  negro  slaves.  Usu- 
ally they  are  soon  covered  with  horrible  skin  diseases  and 
vermin,  the  reason  of  which  is  easily  divined.  They  are 
usually  sold  by  their  parents  or  relations,  on  account  of 
poverty  or  avarice,  and  delivered  to  the  slave-dealers  all  but 
naked.  To  clothe  them  in  clean,  proper  dresses,  would  swal- 
low up  all  the  profit.  A  ragged  shirt,  and  a  piece  of  linen 
round  their  shoulders,  is  the  costume  in  which  they  herd 
together,  and  whisper  to  each  other  their  future  splendour,  or 
dream  perhaps  of  their  country,  which  has  thus  sent  them 
forth  to  strange  lands.  The  slave-merchant  feeds  them  with 
characteristic  stinginess  during  the  voyage,  upon  water  and 
oatmeal.  It  may  be  easily  imagined  that  they  arrive  in  a 
condition  on  which  few  connoisseurs  would  care  to  pass  an 
opinion.  Occasionally,  when  the  dealer  is  anxious  to  "re- 
alize," he  drives  them  into  the  market  just  as  they  are,  or,  at 
most,  casts  over  the  poor  things'  shoulders  a  ftridschi,  the 
mantle  usually  worn  by  Turkish  women.  A  bargain  is  gene- 
rally a  hazard.  The  buyer  keeps  as  far  away  as  possible  from 
his  goods,  and  then  drives  them  before  him  to  the  institutions 
where  they  are  "  got  up"  for  the  harems.  A  number  of  old 
women  make  a  business  of  polishing  up  this  raw  material. 
By  the  employment  of  remedies,  held  secret,  the  girls  are 
soon  cured  of  their  diseases,  cleaned,  and  put  into  proper 
attire,  so  that  they  would  hardly  be  recognised  as  the  same 
beings  who  passed  so  wretched  a  time  on  board  ship. 

By  the  abrogation  of  this  interdict,  Prince  "Woronzoff  gained 


PRINCE   WOROXZOFF.  391 

his  point ;  and  Schamyl's  emissaries  returned  without  success. 
He  used  the  favourable  humour  of  the  Tsherkesses  yet  more 
by  gaining  the  friendship  of  several  princes  by  rich  presents. 
All  the  provinces  of  Daghestan — even  those  who,  like  the 
mountaineers  of  Tabasseran,  did  not  at  all  acknowledge  the 
supremacy  of  Russia,  but  the  inhabitants  of  which  did  not 
make  common  cause  with  Schamyl — were  united  by  Woron- 
zoff  into  one  government,  and  the  brave  Armenian  prince, 
Argutinski,  elected  sovereign. 

Prince  Woronzoff,  now  about  seventy-two  years  of  age,  is 
of  a  middle  stature,  and  very  rough  and  ready  in  his  way, 
and  he  first  wins  your  heart  after  some  conversation  and 
acquaintance.  His  face  does  not  bear  the  impress  of  his 
inward  geniality  of  mind,  for  his  forehead  is  low,  and  his 
features  have  no  particular  expression.  But  although  he 
himself  loves  simplicity,  under  certain  circumstances  he  sur- 
rounds himself  with  a  magnificence  very  little  in  consonance 
with  his  character.  Since  he  has  pitched  his  camp-court  at 
Tiflis,  this  is  more  usual  than  it  was  at  Odessa.  Of  course, 
magnificence  is  of  greater  power  in  Asia,  where  the  people 
may  be  juggled  by  it,  than  in  Europe. 

Persons  who  have  resided  for  any  time  in  the  immediate 
train  of  Prince  Woronzoff,  assure  us  that  he  is  not  only  a  good 
father  as  far  as  his  household  is  concerned,  but  that  he 
is  in  fact  a  father  to  all  his  inferiors.  All  his  actions  have 
something  chivalrous  and  noble  about  them;  and,  setting 
aside  the  fact  of  his  having  attained  the  confidence  of  his 
master  in  the  most  conscientious  way,  he  employs  a  great  part 
of  his  income  in  bettering  the  condition  of  his  lands  and  of 
his  subjects. 


APPENDIX. 

No.  III. 
THE   COSSACKS. 

THE  Cossacks,  who  owe  their  importance  not  to  their  num- 
bers but  to  their  character,  may  materially  influence  the  future 
fortunes  of  Russia,  either  for  good  or  for  evil.  Even  Haxt- 
hausen,  who  sees  every  act  of  the  government  in  the  most 
favourable  light,  declares  that  the  attempt  to  abolish  their 
privileges  is  fraught  with  danger ;  and  he  earnestly  recom- 
mends the  czar,  in  spite  of  apparent  success  among  the  Little 
Russian  Cossacks  of  the  Volga  and  the  Ukraine,  to  abstain 
from  interference  with  those  of  the  Don  and  the  Ural.  He 
describes  them  as  the  freest  people  in  Europe,  and  states  that 
they  possess  the  most  complete  internal  liberty.  Neither  czar 
nor  noble  can  hold  land  in  their  territories ;  and,  far  from 
paying  taxes,  they,  on  the  contrary,  receive  allowances  for  their 
chiefs,  and  for  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  slain  in  battle. 

Every  Cossack  between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and  fifty-five  is 
liable  to  military  service,  and  is  bound  to  provide  his  own 
arms  and  horse,  and  must  maintain  himself  while  employed 
in  his  own  district ;  but  when  beyond  it,  he  is  supplied  by  the 
government  with  forage,  rations,  and  a  small  amount  of  pay. 
They  formerly  elected  their  hetman  and  officers;  but  these 
are  now  appointed  by  the  czar,  and  it  is  not  usual  to  find  a 
Cossack  intrusted  with  the  former  post.  When  the  hetman 
receives  an  order  to  raise  a  contingent,  he  summons  all  those 
who  are  fit  for  service  to  the  market-place.  They  then  ascer- 
tain what  proportion  the  number  required  bears  to  those  from 
whom  they  are  to  be  selected;  and  if,  for  instance,  it  proves 
to  be  one  in  three,  they  separate  into  groups  of  three.  One 
of  these  says,  "I  will  give  so  much  not  to  serve;"  the  others 


THE   COSSACKS.  393 

then  say  what  they  will  give  to  be  exempt;  and  the  biddings 
are  continued  till  one  of  them  says,  "  I  can  offer  no  more,  I 
must  go,"  and  he  is  entitled  to  the  sums  named  by  the  others. 
In  1837,  the  Cossacks  of  the  Ural,  having  already  despatched 
to  the  army  of  the  Caucasus  two-thirds  of  their  men  liable  to 
service,  had  only  3300,  out  of  about  12,000,  at  home,  when, 
owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  war,  they  suddenly  received  an 
order  to  furnish  an  additional  2200  men.  In  three  weeks, 
the  four  regiments  of  550  men  each,  were  mounted  and 
equipped,  and  the  1100  rich  Cossacks  who  remained  at  home, 
had  paid  down  in  a  few  days  the  incredible  sum  of  1,500,000 
rubles  to  the  newly-raised  recruits. 

The  Cossacks  generally  cultivate  their  land  on  the  com- 
munal system ;  but  Haxthausen  gives  a  curious  account  of 
the  hay-harvest  among  those  of  the  Ural.  It  is  forbidden  to 
cut  hay  in  their  steppes  before  the  1st  of  June,  when  those 
only  who  are  engaged  in  military  service  are  privileged  to 
commence.  At  break  of  day  the  hetman  gives  the  signal, 
and  each  soldier  goes  to  work  at  the  spot  which  he  has  se- 
lected. He  knows  that  on  the  following  day  the  whole  tribe 
will  begin,  and  he,  therefore,  taxes  himself  to  the  uttermost, 
for  he  is  entitled  to  the  produce  of  as  much  ground  as  he  can, 
without  assistance,  cut  a  swath  round  by  sunset.  But  judg- 
ment as  well  as  strength  is  required;  for,  should  he  not  com- 
plete his  circle,  his  neighbours  may  enter  upon  his  ground, 
and  he  becomes  the  laughing-stock  of  the  tribe. 

In  ordinary  times,  the  Cossacks  furnish  for  police  and  mili- 
tary duty  126,000  men  and  224  pieces  of  artillery ;  but  these 
figures  may  be  enormously  and  almost  instantaneously  in- 
creased. In  some  cases,  where  nearly  all  the  men  have  been 
destroyed,  the  tribe  has  been  compelled  to  receive  colonists 
drafted  from  other  parts  of  the  empire.  Thus,  in  the  years 
1809-11,  the  Emperor  Alexander  compelled  the  Black  Sea 
Cossacks  to  receive  among  them  20,000  strangers ;  aud  as  a 


304  APPENDIX. 

large  proportion  of  these  fell  victims  to  the  climate,  25,000 
more  were  sent  to  the  Kuban  in  1825. 

Although  their  name  comes  to  them  from  a  Tartar  tribe, 
which  was  to  be  found  at  the  foot  of  the  Caucasus  a  thousand 
years  ago,  the  Cossacks  are  mainly  of  Russian  blood,  dashed, 
indeed,  with  that  of  Turks,  Poles,  Serbs,  and  Tartars.  The 
greater  part  of  them  are  Starovirtze",  or  members  of  the  old 
faith;  that  is  to  say,  they  belong  to  the  Greek,  but  not  to  the 
Russian  Church.  They  have  a  strong  sympathy  with  their 
brethren  in  faith,  who  are  scattered  throughout  both  Great 
and  Little  Russia.  The  latter  have  resisted  every  influence 
that  has  been  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  from  the  time  when 
Peter  abolished  the  Patriarchate ;  and  neither  persecution  nor 
concession  can  make  them  conform  to  the  Imperial  State 
Church.  They  hold  to  ancient  customs,  not  in  religion  only, 
but  in  all  things ;  and  the  government  dreads  the  unseen  op- 
position of  the  Starovirtze",  whenever  it  is  meditating  any  reli- 
gious innovation  or  internal  change. 

Great  as  have  been  the  services  of  the  Cossacks  from  the 
time  of  Jermak  down  to  the  present  day,  they  are  now  more 
necessary  to  Russia  than  ever.  They  are  her  only  efficient 
warriors  in  the  Caucasus ;  they  afford  a  cheap  and  faithful 
guard  for  her  advanced  posts  and  extended  frontier  in  Asia ; 
and  they  furnish  an  internal  police  which  could  scarcely  be 
replaced,  as  her  other  Christian  populations  have  a  strong 
antipathy  to  mount  a  horse.  But  there  is  yet  another  and  a 
more  important  task  which  they  have  to  fulfil  for  Russia  be- 
fore she  destroys  them.  Maurice  Wagner,  in  his  work  on 
the  Caucasus,  entreats  the  attention  of  Europe  to  the  warning 
words  of  a  Slaav  writer,  which  we  quote  : — 

"  We,  Slaavs,  are  bound  to  give  our  brethren  in  the  West  a 
warning  of  the  highest  importance.  The  West  is  too  oblivious 
of  the  north  of  Europe  and  Asia,  the  home  of  rapacious  and 
destructive  races.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  these  nations 


THE    COSSACKS.  395 

have  ceased  to  exist.  Like  clouds  charged  with  storms,  they 
are  awaiting  but  the  all-powerful  command  to  advance  and  de- 
solate Europe.  Let  it  not  be  thought  that  the  spirit  which 
animated  Attila,  Grengis-Khan,  and  Tamerlane,  those  scourges 
of  mankind,  is  extinct.  Those  countries,  those  nations,  and 
the  spirit  which  prevails  in  them,  warn  Christian  civilization 
not  to  be  lulled  into  security;  they  warn  them  that  the  time 
has  not  yet  arrived  for  turning  their  swords  into  ploughshares, 
and  barracks  into  houses  dedicated  to  benevolent  purposes." 
He  then  tells  us  that  "  the  supple  and  serviceable  Cossack  has 
taken  on  himself  the  duties  of  the  tame  elephant  which  is 
employed  in  capturing  and  cajoling  its  fellows.  Hundreds  of 
the  warlike  hordes  of  the  Siberian  deserts  are  already  tamed, 
and  have  learned  to  obey  the  far-reaching  word  of  command 
from  the  Neva.  In  the  army-list  they  already  figure  as  re- 
cruits ready  to  join  the  active  army.  Thousands  of  drill- 
sergeants,  from  Moscow  and  the  Don,  are  teaching  them  to 
manoeuvre,  and  the  stations  of  these  men  extend  even  to  the 
confines  of  the  empire  of  China.  For  more  than  ten  years 
they  have  been  busily  employed  in  forming  the  horsemen  of 
these  wastes  into  squadrons.  They  are  very  picturesque 
corps, — these  *  bristly  centaurs  of  the  waste/ — and  inquisitive 
Europeans  may  sooner  or  later  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
them.  It  is  possible  that  these  tamed  brutes  of  the  desert 
are  being  taught  to  wheel  and  go  through  other  military  evo- 
lutions at  the  word  of  command,  in  order  that  200,000  of 
them  may  be  made  to  parade  before  the  eyes  of  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  West." 


APPENDIX. 
'•-«?»  d  ...Msn 

No.  IV. 

THE  SERFS. 

"Does  there  exist  a  man  who  would  still  hold  the  nation's  faith  to  b« 
bound  to  those  constituted  powers  that  had  borne  us  down  under  the  yoke 
of  slavery  ?" — Manifesto  voted  by  the  Diet  of  the  Kingdom  of  Poland,  Dec. 
20,  1830. 

THE  serfs,  who  from  their  numbers  are  the  most  important 
class  in  Russia,  owe  their  present  slavery  to  accident,  and  to 
this  day  their  bondage  has  been  neither  established  or  recog- 
nised by  any  law  or  ordinance.  In  former  times  the  only 
slaves  were  debtors  or  the  descendants  of  prisoners  of  war, 
who  formed  the  personal  suite  of  the  nobles.  The  peasants 
were  free,  and  cultivated  the  soil  as  yearly  tenants,  who  could 
come  and  go  at  pleasure.  It  is  true,  that  when  Russia  was 
divided  into  a  number  of  petty  states,  each  prince  endeavoured 
to  keep  as  many  subjects  as  possible  within  his  own  territories, 
but  there  is  no  instance  of  any  further  interference  with  their 
freedom ;  and  even  this  hinderance  was  brought  to  an  end  by 
the  sword  of  the  Tartars  and  the  supremacy  of  Moscow.  In 
the  time  of  the  Czar  Boris  Grodounoff,  it  was  feared  that  the 
land  would  cease  to  be  cultivated,  owing  to  the  dislike  of  the 
peasants  to  agriculture  and  to  their  habit  of  wandering  to  the 
towns  and  banks  of  rivers  in  search  of  more  congenial  employ- 
ment. A  ukase  was  therefore  issued  in  1601,  by  which  they 
were  forbidden  to  remove  from  place  to  place,  and  were  fixed 
forever  to  the  spot  where  they  had  happened  to  be  on  the 
day  of  St.  George  last  passed.  This  ukase,  which  dates  from 
the  same  year  as  the  famous  Act  of  the  43d  of  Elizabeth, 
bears  some  resemblance  to  the  Law  of  Settlement  passed  in 
the  13th  and  14th  of  Charles  II.,  which  has  caused  so  much 


THE   SERFS.  397 

misery  in  England,  and  the  total  repeal  of  which  is  now  under 
discussion.  Haxthausen  says,  that  St.  George's  day  is  still 
commemorated  in  the  songs  of  the  Russian  peasants  as  fatal 
to  their  liberty,  although  it  was  not  till  long  after  that  they 
were  actually  deprived  of  their  personal  freedom.  At  first 
the  change  was  not  very  severely  felt,  for  as  long  as  agri- 
culture continued  to  be  their  principal  employment,  the  lord 
of  the  soil,  who  rarely  resided  on  the  spot,  contented  himself 
with  a  moderate  rent,  and  felt  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  peasants,  for  he  knew  that  if  they  were  distressed  or  over- 
taxed, his  land  would  go  out  of  cultivation. 

It  was  the  passion  of  Peter  the  Great  for  the  introduction 
of  European  civilization  and  luxury,  which  moulded  serfage 
into  its  present  form.  Induced  by  him,  the  rich  proprietors 
built  factories,  which  they  placed  under  the  management 
of  foreigners,  and  assigned  villages  for  the  support  of  the 
workmen  employed  in  them.  These  were  at  first  their  super- 
fluous personal  attendants;  but  their  incorrigible  idleness  soon 
led  to  a  change  of  system,  and  the  lord  ordered  some  of  his 
villages,  in  lieu  of  rent  or  service,  to  provide  hands  for  the 
factories.  These  men,  finding  that  all  their  wants  were  sup- 
plied, gave  up  every  other  kind  of  toil,  and  the  idea  gradually 
became  established  that  the  lord  could  dispose  of  the  labour 
of  his  serf  in  whatever  manner  he  chose.  But  it  was  quickly 
discovered  that  when  the  peasant  was  deprived  of  the  stimulus 
of  self-interest,  he  lost  his  wonted  activity  and  intelligence, 
and  hence  arose  the  custom  of  allowing  him  to  choose  his  own 
employment,  on  the  sole  condition  of  his  paying  an  annual 
sum  to  his  owner. 

The  proprietor  is  bound  to  maintain  his  serfs,  or,  if  they 
are  employed  in  agriculture,  he  must  provide  them  with  land 
sufficient  for  their  support.  In  return,  he  is  entitled  to  either 
money  or  service.  In  the  former  case,  he  lays  an  obrok  or 
rent  upon  the  whole  village.  In  the  latter  case,  the  peasants 

34 


398  APPENDIX. 

either  work  for  him  three  days  in  the  week,*  or  they  culti- 
vate a  portion  of  the  land  for  his  benefit,  having  another  por- 
tion assigned  to  them  for  their  own  maintenance.  In  either 
case,  the  lord  can  impose  what  conditions  he  pleases  upon 
the  peasants,  who  divide  their  land  and  burdens  attached  to 
it,  according  to  the  customs  we  have  described  in  speaking  of 
the  free  communes. 

The  lord  cannot  adjudge  his  serf  to  receive  more  than  forty 
blows  with  the  rod,  or  fifteen  with  the  stick;  but  the  limitation 
is  of  little  value,  as  there  is  no  authority  to  enforce  it.  The 
serf  has  not  the  power  to  make  a  will,  but  since  the  year  1842 
his  right  to  enter  into  a  bargain  or  contract  is  recognised  by 
law.  He  can  scarcely  be  said  to  own  property,  for  all  that  he 
has  belongs  to  his  lord,  and  can  be  seized  by  him;  but  custom 
aud  public  opinion  forbid  the  exercise  of  this  right.  Indi- 
viduals and  whole  villages  sometimes  purchase  their  freedom; 
and  in  the  case  of  the  latter,  their  houses  and  lands  are  in- 
cluded in  the  bargain.  We  learn  from  Haxthausen  that 
Prince  She'remetoff,  who  owns  128,000  souls,  some  of  whom 
possess  millions,  has  received  from  80,000  to  100,000  rubles 
for  the  enfranchisement  of  a  single  serf;  but  it  often  happens 
that  rich  men  prefer  the  protection  of  a  master,  and  many  of 
the  great  proprietors  take  a  pride  in  the  wealth  of  their  serfs. 

*  In  order  to  render  the  recent  levy,  amounting  to  3  per  cent,  on  the  adult 
male  population,  less  intolerable  to  the  peasants  of  Western  Russia,  it  was 
accompanied  by  a  ukase  reducing  the  forced  labour  of  the  serf  from  three 
days  in  the  week  to  two. 


THE    KREMLIN.  309 


No.  V. 

THE   KREMLIN.* 

RUSSIA  has  two  capitals  :  St.  Petersburg,  representing  the 
West,  progress  and  civilization ;  Moscow,  symbolizing  the  East, 
conservatism  and  barbarism. 

St.  Petersburg  is  Russian,  but  not  Russia.  The  ground 
on  which  it  stands  was  once  a  foreign  country.  Moscow  is 
still  the  heart  and  soul  of  Russian  life  and  nationality.  It 
is  in  lat.  55°  45'  45"  N.,  and  Ion.  55°  12'  45"  E.,  and  728 
versts  from  St.  Petersburg,  to  which  it  is  now  united  by  a 
railway. 

The  assertion  sometimes  made,  that  no  city  is  so  irregu- 
larly built  as  Moscow,  is,  in  some  respects,  true.  None 
of  the  streets  are  straight;  houses,  large  and  small,  private 
dwellings,  public  buildings,  and  churches,  are  mingled  con- 
fusedly together;  but  when,  instead  of  looking  at  it  in  de- 
tail, we  consider  it  as  a  whole,  it  must  be  admitted  that  few 
cities  are  more  regularly  or  more  rationally  built  than 
Moscow. 

The  original  founders  settled,  without  doubt,  on  the  Krem- 
lin hill,  which  naturally  became  the  centre  of  the  city  at  a  later 
period.  Nearest  that  fortified  hill  lay  the  Kitay  Gorod,  (Chi- 
nese city,)  the  oldest  part  of  Moscow.  Around  both  the 
Kremlin  and  Kitay  Gorod  lies  Beloi  Gorod,  (White  city,) 
which  is  encircled  by  the  Tver  Boulevard  and  the  other  boule- 
vards, forming,  together,  one  street.  Round  Beloi  Gorod  runs, 

*  From  Morell'g  "  Bttssia  as  it  It." 


400  APPENDIX. 

in  a  like  circular  form,  the  Smelni  Gorod,  surrounded  by  tho 
Garden  street,  and  by  other  streets,  which  must  be  considered 
as  continuations  of  it.  These  rings,  forming  the  body  of  the 
city,  properly  so  called,  are  intersected  by  the  Tverskay.-t, 
Dimitrevka,  and  other  streets,  radiating  from  the  open  places 
round  the  Kremlin  as  the  common  centre.  Nowhere  is  there 
a  sufficient  length  of  street  to  form  a  perspective.  The  greater 
number  of  the  streets  wind  like  the  paths  of  an  English  park, 
or  like  rivers  meandering  through  fields. 

We  always  fancy  ourselves  coming  to  the  end;  and  in  every 
part  where  the  ground  is  level,  we  appear  to  be  in  a  small 
city.  Fortunately,  the  site  of  Moscow  is,  in  general,  hilly. 
The  streets  undulate  continually,  and  thus  offer,  from  time  to 
time,  points  of  view  whence  the  eye  is  able  to  range  over  the 
vast  ocean  of  house-tops. 

It  is  difficult  to  decide  on  the  exact  number  of  the  churches 
of  Moscow,  the  accounts  given  differ  so  widely.  While  some 
speak  of  1500,  others  reduce  the  number  to  500,  and  others 
even  to  260.  Some  reckon  every  chapel  attached  to  the 
larger  churches,  those  in  private  houses,  convents,  and  those 
erected  over  graves,  which  might  easily  swell  the  number  to 
thousands.  Some  people  reckon  the  summer  and  winter 
churches  separately,  and  others  together.  There  are  even 
some  churches  in  Moscow  which  do,  in  fact,  consist  of  several 
joined  together,  of  which  each  has  its  own  name,  and  is  quite 
apart  from  the  rest.  In  this  manner,  the  church  of  the  Pro- 
tection of  the  Holy  Virgin  might  be  set  down  as  twelve. 
Lastly,  some  of  the  convents  have  one  chief  church,  and  three, 
four,  and  even  five,  supplementary  churches,  in  each  of  which 
service  is  performed  only  once  a  year ;  these  are  passed  over 
in  some  estimates,  and  included  in  others. 

It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  the  buildings  in  Moscow  destined 
for  divine  service  are  countless. 


THE    KREMLIN.  401 

The  population  of  Moscow  is  iiow  considerably  more  than 
300,000. 

Kohl  and  the  Marquis  de  Custine  have  exhausted  Moscow, 
whose  chief  features  are  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Basil  and  the 
Kremlin.  The  church  of  St.  Basil  stands  at  the  entrance  of 
the  fortress.  Vassili  Blagennoi  is  a  mosaic  or  pot-pourri 
of  every  imaginable  style  of  architecture,  thrown  together  in 
the  most  capricious  and  fanciful  disorder.  It  is  certainly  the 
most  singular,  if  not  the  most  beautiful,  monument  in  Russia. 
The  effect  it  produces  is  prodigious.  "  Certainly,  the  country 
which  would  name  it  a  place  for  prayer,  is  not  Europe,  but 
rather  India,  Persia,  or  China;  and  the  men  who  go  to  worship 
God  in  this  box  of  bonbons  are  not  Christians :"  thus  I  ex- 
claimed, on  looking  on  this  singular  church  of  Vassili.  It  is 
also  small  and  dismal,  and  Custine  pronounces  that  all  churches 
in  this  land  of  slavery  are  dungeons. 

The  centre  of  attraction  at  Moscow  is,  however,  the  Kreui- 
Hn,  the  ancient  fortress  of  its  czars,  the  dungeon  of  a  nation 
of  giants.  This  is  one  of  the  most  stupendous  edifices  in  the 
world.  I  shall  never  forget,  observes  Custine,  the  freezing 
feeling  of  horror  which  I  experienced  on  first  beholding  the 
cradle  of  the  empire  of  modern  Russia.  The  Kremlin  de- 
serves a  journey  to  Moscow. 

The  Kremlin  is  not  like  any  other  palace;  it  is  an  entire 
city,  and  the  head  of  Moscow ;  it  serves  as  a  frontier  to  two 
parts  of  the  world,  the  east  and  the  west.  The  Old  and  the 
New  Worlds  are  in  the  presence  of  each  other  there. 

The  walls  of  the  Kremlin  !  The  wood  walls  can  give  you 
no  idea :  the  wood  is  too  common,  too  mean,  it  deceives  you ; 
the  walls  of  the  Kremlin — they  are  a  chain  of  mountains. 
This  citadel,  built  on  the  confines  of  Europe  and  Asia,  is,  com- 
pared with  ordinary  ramparts,  what  the  Alps  are  to  our  hills ; 
the  Kremlin  is  the  Mont  Blanc  of  fortresses.  If  the  giant, 

34* 


402  APPENDIX. 

whom  we  call  the  Russian  empire,  had  a  heart,  I  should  say 
that  the  Kremlin  was  the  heart  of  this  monster;  it  is  the  head 
of  it.  I  wish  I  could  only  give  you  an  idea  of  that  mass  of 
stones,  sketched  out  like  steps  along  the  sky ;  singular  contra- 
diction !  This  asylum  of  despotism  was  raised  in  the  name 
of  liberty,  for  the  Kremlin  was  a  rampart  opposed  by  the 
Russians  against  the  Calmucks ;  its  walls  at  both  ends  have 
favoured  the  independence  of  the  state,  and  served  the  tyranny 
of  the  sovereign.  They  follow  boldly  the  sinuosities  of  the 
earth ;  when  the  slopes  of  the  hill  become  too  rapid,  the  ram- 
part is  lowered  by  steps ;  these  steps,  which  mount  between 
the  sky  and  the  earth,  are  enormous ;  it  is  the  ladder  of  giants 
who  make  war  with  the  gods. 

The  line  of  this  first  enclosure  of  structures  is  cut  by 
fantastic  towers,  so  lofty,  so  strong,  and  of  so  whimsical  a 
form,  that  they  represent  rocks  of  divers  figures,  and  glaciers 
of  a  thousand  colours.  The  obscurity,  doubtless,  caused  all 
these  things  to  increase  in  size,  and  to  give  them  an  unnatural 
outline  and  tints ;  I  say  tints,  because  night  has  its  colouring 
as  well  as  gravure.  I  cannot  account  for  the  influence  of  the 
illusion  which  then  possessed  me ;  but  it  was  impossible  not 
to  feel  a  secret  terror,  to  see  ladies  and  gentlemen,  dressed  in 
the  Parisian  costume,  walking  at  the  foot  of  this  fabulous 
palace;  one  imagines  that  it  is  a  dream.  I  was  dreaming. 
What  would  Ivan  the  Third  have  said ;  he,  the  restorer — we 
might  say  the  founder — of  the  Kremlin,  if  he  could  Have  seen, 
at  the  foot  of  the  sacred  fortress,  these  old  shaven  Muscovites, 
with  their  hair  curled,  in  dress  coats,  white  pantaloons,  and 
yellow  gloves,  lounging  at  their  ease  to  the  sound  of  music, 
and  eating  well-sugared  ices  before  a  well-illuminated  caf6? 
He  would  have  said,  as  I  do, — it  is  impossible !  And  yet  this 
is  to  be  seen  at  Moscow  every  summer's  evening.  I  have 
been  over  the  public  gardens,  planted  upon  the  glaciers  of  the 


THE   KREMLIN.  403 

old  citadel  of  the  Czars ;  I  beheld  towers,  then  other  towers, 
flights  of  walls,  and  then  again  other  flights ;  and  my  eyes 
wandered  over  an  enchanted  city.  It  is  saying  too  little  to 
call  it  Fairy-land !  It  requires  the  eloquence  of  youth,  who;u 
all  surprises  and  astonishes,  in  order  to  find  words  analogous 
to  those  wonderful  things.  Above  a  long  vault,  which  I  had 
just  crossed,  I  perceived  a  suspended  road,  by  which  foot-pas- 
sengers and  carriages  entered  the  holy  city.  This  sight 
appeared  to  me  incomprehensible  j  there  was  nothing  but 
towers,  doors,  terraces  raised  one  above  the  other,  in  contrary 
lines ;  nothing  but  rapid  ascents  and  descents,  and  arches  sup- 
porting roads  by  which  you  go  out  of  the  Moscow  of  to-day 
and  the  Moscow  of  the  past,  to  enter  the  Kremlin,  from  the 
historical  Moscow  to  the  marvellous  Moscow.  These  aqueducts 
without  water  support  again  other  stages  of  edifices  still  more 
fantastic.  I  saw  a  low,  round  tower,  all  bristling  with  battle- 
ments and  buttresses,  leaning  against  one  of  those  suspended 
passages.  The  brilliant  whiteness  of  this  singular  ornament 
detaches  itself  from  a  wall  as  red  as  blood ;  what  a  contrast ! 
and  which  the  obscurity,  always  somewhat  transparent  in  the 
nights  of  the  north,  never  prevents  you  from  observing.  This 
tower  was  a  giant,  whose  head  seemed  to  command  the  whole 
fort,  of  which  it  seemed  to  be  the  guardian.  When  I  was 
satisfied  with  the  enjoyment  of  this  waking  dream,  I  endea- 
voured to  find  my  way  home. 

Wishing  to  compare  the  Kremlin  in  full  daylight  with 
the  fantastic  Kremlin  of  the  night,  I  recommenced  my  walk 
of  yesterday.  Obscurity  increases  and  displaces  all  things; 
but  the  sun  restores  objects  to  their  forms  and  proportions. 
I  was  again  surprised  at  this  second  testing  of  the  fortress  of 
the  Czars.  The  moonlight  enlarged  and  brought  out  certain 
masses  of  stone,  but  it  had  concealed  others  from  me ;  and 
thus,  by  rectifying  some  of  my  mistakes,  and  acknowledging 


404  APPENDIX. 

that  I  had  imagined  too  many  arches,  covered  galleries, 
and  suspended  roads,  of  porticoes  and  caverns,  I  still  found 
a  sufficient  number  of  all  these  things  to  justify  my  en- 
thusiasm. 

There  is  every  thing  to  be  found  at  the  Kremlin :  it  is  a 
landscape  of  stones. 

The  solidity  of  those  ramparts  surpasses  the  strength  of 
the  rocks  which  bear  them;  the  number  and  the  form  of 
these  monuments  is  a  marvel.  This  labyrinth  of  palaces,  of 
museums,  of  donjons,  of  churches,  of  prisons,  is  fearful  as  the 
architecture  of  Martin,  and  as  vast  but  more  irregular  than 
the  compositions  of  the  English  painter.  Mysterious  sounds 
proceed  from  the  depths  of  the  caverns ;  such  dwellings  can- 
not be  fit  for  beings  like  us.  You  dream  there  in  the  midst 
of  the  most  astonishing  scenes;  and  you  tremble  when  you 
remember  that  these  are  not  merely  pure  invention.  The 
sounds  you  hear  there  seem  to  proceed  from  the  tomb;  in 
such  a  spot  you  can  believe  in  every  thing,  except  that  which 
is  natural. 

Convince  yourself  thoroughly  that  the  Kremlin  of  Moscow 
is  not  what  it  is  reported  to  be.  It  is  not  a  palace ;  it  is 
not  a  national  sanctuary  where  the  historical  treasures  of  the 
empire  are  preserved ;  it  is  not  the  Boulevard  of  Russia,  the 
revered  asylum  where  the  saints  sleep,  who  are  the  protectors 
of  the  country ;  it  is  less,  and  it  is  more,  than  all  this :  it  is 
simply  the  Citadel  of  Spectres. 

This  morning,  walking  along,  and  without  a  guide,  as  usual, 
I  arrived  at  the  very  centre  of  the  Kremlin,  and  I  pene- 
trated alone  into  the  interior  of  some  of  those  churches, 
which  are  the  ornaments  of  this  pious  city,  venerated  by  the 
Russians,  as  much  for  their  relics  as  for  their  worldly  riches 
and  the  glorious  trophies  they  enclose.  The  Kremlin, 
situated  on  a  hill,  appeared  to  me  from  a  distance  like  a 


THE    KREMLIN.  405 

princely  city,  built  in  the  midst  of  an  ordinary  one.  This 
tyrannical  chateau — this  proud  heap  of  stones — towers  above 
the  common  dwellings  of  men,  with  its  high  rocks,  its  walls, 
and  its  belfries,  and,  contrary  to  that  which  happens  with  re- 
gard to  monuments  of  ordinary  dimensions,  the  nearer  we 
approach  to  this  indestructible  mass,  the  more  we  are  asto- 
nished. Like  certain  bones  of  gigantic  animals,  the  Kremlin 
proves  to  us  the  history  of  a  world  of  which  we  still  have 
doubts,  even  when  we  discover  its  remains.  In  this  pro- 
digious creation,  strength  takes  the  place  of  beauty,  caprice 
of  elegance.  It  is  a  tyrant's  dream,  but  it  is  powerful; 
it  is  terrifying,  like  the  thought  of  a  man  who  commands 
the  thoughts  of  a  people;  there  is  something  out  of  pro- 
portion in  it. 

I  see  means  of  defence,  but  which  suppose  wars  such  as  are 
no  more  carried  on;  this  architecture  is  not  in  harmony  with 
the  wants  of  modern  civilization. 

The  heritage  of  fabulous  times,  when  kings  reigned 
without  control;  jail,  palace,  sanctuary,  a  bulwark  against 
the  stranger,  a  bastile  against  the  nation,  the  support  of 
tyrants,  dungeons  for  the  people, — behold,  this  is  the 
Kremlin  ! 

A  kind  of  Acropolis  of  the  north,  or  a  barbarous  Pan- 
theon, this  national  sanctuary  might  be  called  the  Alcazar 
of  the  Slavonians.  Such,  then,  was  the  beloved  residence  of 
the  old  Muscovite  princes;  and,  nevertheless,  these  formid- 
able walls  did  not  suffice  to  calm  down  yet  the  terror  of 
Ivan  the  Fourth. 

The  fear  felt  toward  an  all-powerful  man  is  one  of  the 
most  terrible  things  in  the  world.  Thus,  you  tremble  on  ap- 
proaching the  Kremlin.  Towers  of  all  forms ;  round,  square, 
pointed  like  arrows,  belfries,  donjons,  turrets,  vedettes,  the 
watch-towers  on  the  minarets,  steeples  of  every  height,  of 


406  APPENDIX. 

different  colours,  style,  and  destination ;  courts,  look-outs, 
embattled  walls,  loopholes,  machicolations,  ramparts,  forti- 
fications of  all  sorts,  whimsical  fancies,  incomprehensible 
inventions,  a  kiosk  by  the  side  of  a  cathedral, — all  announce 
disorder  and  violence, —  all  betray  the  constant  watchful- 
ness necessary  for  the  safety  of  those  singular  beings,  who 
are  condemned  to  live  in  this  supernatural  world. 

The  Kremlin,  the  first  erection  of  which  began  in  1367, 
is  certainly  a  most  singular  object.  It  contains  the  remains 
of  the  ancient  palace,  and  also  a  modern  one,  rebuilt  in  1816; 
it  has,  besides,  four  cathedrals,  in  one  of  which  (the  As- 
sumption) there  are  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  full-length 
images  of  angels,  saints,  sovereigns,  &c.  The  Cathedral  of 
St.  Michael  contains  the  tombs  of  all  the  Russian  sovereigns 
to  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great.  There  are,  including  the 
cathedrals,  thirty-two  churches  in  the  Kremlin.  It  is  sur- 
rounded with  walls  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  thick,  of 
heights  varying  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet. 

Deserving  of  notice  in  Moscow  is  Count  Sheremetof's 
Hospital,  an  extensive  and  noble  edifice.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  fine  Grecian  temple.  The  noble  founder  dedicated 
a  sum  equal  to  £150,000  to  its  foundation,  to  which  his  son 
made  large  additions.  The  objects,  besides  relief  of  the  sick, 
are  portioning  twenty-five  female  orphans,  and  allowing  pen- 
sions to  aged  and  indigent  females.  There  is  also  a  military 
hospital,  founded  by  Peter  the  Great,  now  capable  of  re- 
ceiving fifteen  hundred  patients. 

Colonel  Cameron,  who  looked  through  rose-coloured  spec- 
tacles on  all  he  saw  in  Russia,  was  enchanted  with  Moscow. 
Churches,  palaces,  mosques,  pagodas,  and  pavilions,  with 
their  gorgeous  and  glittering  domes  and  golden  spires,  mixed 
with  gardens,  majestic  trees,  shrubberies,  and  buildings  of 
every  description  of  architecture, — the  elegant  Grecian,  the 


THE   KREMLIN.  407 

massive  Gothic,  the  fantastic  Chinese,  and  the  graceful  Sara- 
cenic, in  the  midst  of  which  wound  the  noble  waters  of  the 
Moskwa, — all  formed  a  tableau  which  the  imagination,  per- 
haps, may  readily  conceive,  but  which  it  would  be  difficult 
for  the  ablest  writer  effectually  to  describe.  Such  is  the 
view  from  the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  or  John  the  Great. 


THE   END. 


STEREOTYPED  BY   L.  JOHNSON  *  00. 

PHILADELPHIA. 


CATALOGUE 

or 

VALUABLE  AND   INTERESTING  WORKS, 

PUBLISHED   AND    SOLD   BT 

J.  W,  BRADLEY,  48  North  4th  St.,  Philadelphia; 
I.  P.  CROWN  &  Co.,  61  Cornhill,  Boston; 

M.  BRADLEY,  24  High  St,  New  Haven ;  and 
H.  A.  TATES,  57  Genesee  St,  Auburn,  N.  Y. 

They  are  printed  on  fine  white  paper,  and  bound  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  They  include  the  best 
•works  written  by  T.  S.  ARTHUR,  the  most  popular  of 
living  authors.  Over  100,000  of  his  books  are  sold  an- 
nually. 

ARTHUR'S  SKETCHES  OF  LIFE  AND  CHA- 

RACTER.    An  octavo  volume  of  over  400  pages,  beautifully 
illustrated,  and  bound  in  the  best  English  muslin,  gilt    $2.00. 

HOTICES    OP   THE    PRESS. 

The  present  volume,  containing  more  than  four  hundred  finely 
printed  octavo  pages,  is  illustrated  by  splendid  engravings,  and 
made  particularly  valuable  to  those  who  like  to  "  see  the  face  of 
him  they  talk  withal,"  by  a  correct  likeness  of  the  author,  finely 
engraved  on  steel. — Neal'a  Gazette. 
1 


In  the  princely  mansions  of  the  Atlantic  merchant',  and  in  the 
rude  log-cabins  of  the  backwoodsmen,  the  name  of  Arthur  is 
equally  known  and  cherished  as  the  friend  of  virtue. — Graham'* 
Magazine. 

We  would  not  exchange  our  copy  of  these  sketches,  with  its 
•tory  of  "  The  Methodist  Preacher,"  for  any  one  of  the  gilt-edged 
•nd  embossed  annuals  which  we  have  yet  seen. — Lady't  National 
Magazine. 

The  first  story  in  the  volume,  entitled  "The  Methodist  Preacher, 
or  Lights  and  Shadows  in  the  Life  of  an  Itinerant,"  is  alon« 
worth  the  price  of  the  work. — Evening  Bulletin. 

It  is  emphatically  a  splendid  work. — Middletown  Whig. 

Its  worth  and  cheapness  should  place  it  in  every  person's  hands 
who  desire  to  read  an  interesting  book. — Odd  Fellow,  Boontboro'. 

"The  Methodist  Preacher,"  "Seed-Time  and  Harvest,"  "Dyed 
in  the  Wool,"  are  full  of  truth  as  well  as  instruction,  and  any  one 
of  them  is  worth  the  whole  price  of  the  volume. — Lowell  Day- 
»tar,  Rev.  D.  G.  Eddy,  Editor. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  these  sketches  which  so  powerfully 
interests  the  reader,  that  few  who  commence  one  of  them  will 
part  with  it  till  it  is  concluded ;  and  they  will  bear  reading  re- 
peatedly.— Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  Herald. 

Those  who  have  not  perused  these  model  stories  have  a  rich 
feast  in  waiting,  and  we  shall  be  happy  if  we  can  be  instrumental 
in  pointing  them  to  it — Family  Visitor,  Madison,  Geo. 

No  library  for  family  reading  should  be  considered  complete 
•without  this  volume,  which  is  as  lively  and  entertaining  in  its 
character  as  it  is  salutary  in  its  influence. — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

The  work  is  beautifully  illustrated.  Those  who  are  at  all  ac- 
quainted with  Arthur's  writings  need  hardly  be  told  that  the  pro- 
sent  work  is  a  prize  to  whoever  possesses  it — N.  Y.  Sun. 

We  know  no  better  book  for  the  table  of  any  family,  whether 
regarded  for  its  neat  exterior  or  valuable  contents. —  Vox  Populi, 
Lowell, 

The  name  of  the  author  is  in  itself  a  sufficient  recommenda- 
tion of  the  work. — Lawrence  Sentinel. 

T.  S.  Arthur  is  one  of  the  best  literary  writers  of  the  age.— 
Watchman,  Circleville,  Ohio. 

The  name  alone  of  the  author  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  to  th« 


reading  public  of  its  surpassing  merit — The  Arrnu. 

JfiM. 

Probably  be  has  not  written  a  line  which,  dying,  he  could  wish 
to  erase. — Parkersburg,  ( Fa.)  Gazette. 

LIGHTS    AND  SHADOWS   OF  REAL   LIFE, 

with  an  autobiography  and  portrait  of  the  author,  over  500 
pages  octavo,  with  fine  tinted  engravings.    $2.00. 

NOTICES    OF   THE    PRESS. 

In  this  volume  may  be  found  a  "moral  suasion,"  which  cannot 
but  affect  for  good  all  who  read.  The  mechanical  execution  of 
the  work  is  very  beautiful  throughout. — New  Haven  Palladium. 

It  is  by  far  the  most  valuable  book  ever  published  of  his 
works,  inasmuch  as  it  is  enriched  with  a  very  interesting,  though 
brief  autobiography. — American  Courier. 

No  family  library  is  complete  without  a  copy  of  this  book. — 
Scott's  Weekly  Paper. 

No  better  or  worthier  present  could  be  made  to  the  young;  no 
offering  more  pure,  charitable,  and  practicable  could  be  tendered 
to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  truly  benevolent  reforms  of  the 
day. — Godey's  Lady't  Book. 

The  paper,  the  engravings,  the  binding,  and  the  literary  con- 
tents, arc  all  calculated  to  make  it  a  favourite. — Penn.  Inquirer. 

This  volume  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended. — N.  Y.  Tri- 
bune. 

More  good  has  been  effected,  than  by  any  other  single  medium 
that  we  know  of. — N.  Y.  Sun. 

The  work  should  be  upon  the  centre-table  of  every  parent  in 
the  land. — National  Temperance  Magazine, 

LEAVES  FROM  THE  BOOK  OF  HUMAN  LIFE. 

Large  12mo.    328  pages.    With  30  illustrations  and  steel 
plate.    $1.00. 

NOTICES    07   THE    PRESS. 

A  single  story  is  worth  the  price  charged  for  the  book. — 

Hcwburyport,  Matt. 


GOLDEN  GRAINS  FROM  LIFE'S  HARVEST- 

FIELD,  bound  in  full  gilt,  with  a  beautiful  mezzotint  engrar» 
ing.  12ino.  240  pages.  75  cts. 

NOTICES    OF  THE    PRESS. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  Golden  Grains  here  pre- 
sented to  the  reader,  are  such  as  will  be  productive  of  a  far 
greater  amount  of  human  happiness  than  those  in  search  of  which 
so  many  are  willing  to  risk  domestic  peace,  health,  and  even  life 
itself,  in  a  distant  and  inhospitable  region. 

These  narratives,  like  all  of  those  which  proceed  from  the  same 
able  pen,  are  remarkable  not  only  for  their  entertaining  and 
lively  pictures  of  actual  life,  but  for  their  admirable  moral  ten- 
dency. 

It  is  printed  in  excellent  style,  and  embellished  with  a  mezzo- 
tint engraving.  We  cordially  recommend  it  to  the  favour  of  our 
readers. — ffodey't  Lady's  Magazine. 

TEN  NIGHTS  IN  A  BAR  ROOM,  AND  WHAT  I 

SAW  THERE.'  This  powerfully  written  work,  the  last  and 
best  by  its  popular  Author,  is  meeting  with  immense  sales, — 
ten  thousand  copies  having  been  ordered  within  a  mon'h  of 
publication.  Toung  men  wishing  to  do  good,  and  at  the  same 
time  make  money,  will  find  a  rare  chance  in  selling  this  book. 
It  is  a  large  12mo,  of  240  pages,  illustrated  with  a  beautiful 
mezzotint  engraving,  by  Sartain;  printed  on  fine  white  pa- 
per, and  bound  in  the  best  English  muslin,  gilt  back,  and  sold 
at  75  cents.  In  extra  full  gilt  edge,  back  and  sides,  $1.00. 

THB  FOLLOWING  ARE  A  FEW  OF  THE  MANY  NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS: 

This  is  a  temperance  volume,  written  in  the  author's  plain, 
heart-searching  style. — Dollar  Newspaper. 

This  volume  is  the  last  of  those  admirable  temperance  tales,  by 
which  the  author  is  doing  and  has  done  so  much  good. — Evening 
Bulletin. 

Powerful  and  seasonable. — N.  Y.  Independent. 

W* 


Its  scenes  are  painfully  graphic,  and  furnish  thrilling  argu- 
ments for  the  temperance  cause. — Norton'*  Lit.  Gazette. 

Written  in  the  author's  most  forcible  and  rigorous  style.— 
Itthigh  Val.  Times. 

In  the  "Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar-room,"  some  of  the  consequence! 
if  tavern-keeping,  the  "sowing  of  the  wind"  and  "reaping  the 
wLirlwind"  are  followed  by  a  "fearful  consummation,"  and  the 
"closing  scene,"  presenting  pictures  of  fearful,  thrilling  interest. 
One  touching  passage  supplies  the  beautiful  mezzotint  illustra- 
tions by  Sartain. — Am.  Courier. 

The  sketches  are  powerfully  written,  to  show  the  downward 
career  of  the  tempter  and  the  tempted,  and  the  inevitable  ruin 
which  must  follow.  There  is  no  exaggeration  in  these  pages — • 
they  seem  to  have  been  filled  up  from  actual  observation.  Mr. 
Arthur  has 'given  efficient  aid  to  the  cause  of  reform  by  these  in- 
tensely interesting  sketches,  and  we  predict  for  them  an  exten- 
sive sale. — Philadelphia  Sun. 

The  exciting  influences  of  the  wine  cup,  its  consequent  respon- 
sibility, and  the  inevitable  results  accruing  from  a  free  indulgence 
in  the  intoxicating  draught,  are  not  only  truthfully,  but  vividly 
portrayed  in  the  author's  best  style. — Daily  Neva. 

This  is  a  strong  temperance  book,  from  the  prolific  pen  of  a 
popular  writer. —  U.  S.  Journal. 

We  are  glad  to  see  Mr.  Arthur  again  in  the  temperance  field. 
He  has  long  been  one  of  our  best  writers. — Journal  Am.  Tern. 
Union. 

Arthur's  tales  usually  bear  a  character  of  simplicity  and  truth- 
fulness possessing  strong  attractions  for  the  generality  of  readers, 
and  especially  for  those  in  the  daily  enjoyment  of  country  life. 
He  seldom  seems  to  study  for  effect,  except  it  be  in  closely  por- 
traying real  life.  In  these  aspects  the  work  before  us  is  emi- 
nently successful. — N.  Y.  Sun. 

The  book  exhibits  many  of  the  horrors  of  bar-room  life,  with- 
out however  being  defaced  by  some  of  its  most  disgusting  pro- 
fanities and  brutalities. — Saturday  Evening  Post. 

We  have  read  it  with  the  most  intense  interest,  and  commend 
it  as  a  work  calculated  to  do  an  immense  amount  of  good. — Lcm- 
•tuter  Exprett. 


6 

We  have  given  this  excellent  work  a  careful  perusal,  and  un- 
hesitatingly recommend  it  to  all  lovers  of  good  reading.  It  illus- 
trates rum-drinking  so  truthfully,  that  the  most  skeptical  must 
confess  that  the  truth  is  not  exaggerated.  We  wish  that  all 
lovers  of  bar-rooms  and  rum  would  read  the  book.  It  will  pay 
them  richly  to  do  so. — N.  Y.  Northern  Blade. 

It  is  sufficient  commendation  of  this  little  volume  to  say  that  it 
is  from  the  graphic  pen  of  T.  S.  Arthur,  whose  works  will  be  read 
and  re-read  long  after  he  has  passed  away.  He  is  as  true  to  na- 
ture, as  far  as  he  attempts  to  explore  it,  as  Shakspeare  himself, 
and  his  works,  consequently,  have  an  immense  popularity.  The 
best  of  all  is,  that  his  writings  tend  to  make  men  better  as  well 
as  wiser.  This  little  volume  is  a  thrilling  temperance  story, 
showing  the  progress  from  temptation  to  utter  ruin,  and  the 
remedies  for  the  evils  set  forth.  The  volume  is  beautifully  printed 
and  bound. — New  Haven  Palladium. 

It  is  one  of  the  tales  of  an  author  who  has  no  superior  in  the 
eountry  in  developing  the  different  passions  of  the  human  heart — • 
New  Haven  Jour.  &  Courier. 

There  are  many  scenes  unequalled  for  pathos  and  beauty,  and 
many,  too,  which  are  painful  in  their  sharply-defined  outlines  of 
horror  and  profanity.  The  death  of  little  Mary  can  scarcely  ba 
surpassed,  while  the  closing  pages  of  the  book,  picturing  the 
downfall  of  the  tavern,  amid  the  wreck  of  worldly  hopes  and  tha 
ruin  of  every  thing  that  makes  life  worth  the  living  for,  a  dark 
climax  of  vice  and  unrestrained  indulgence,  in  their  sad  and 
necessary  results,  are  too  gloomy  and  too  painfully  real  for  com- 
ment.— N.  Y.  Home  Journal. 

This  is  the  title  of  a  new  temperance  tale  by  T.  S.  Arthur,  who 
has  been  very  successful  in  works  of  this  kind.  His  pictures  are 
vividly  drawn,  and  his  sketches  of  thrilling  interest. — Newark 
(N.  J.)  Eagle. 

A  new  temperance  volume,  which  displays  the  dark  sides  of 
bar-room  life,  and  the  general  intent  i?  to  favour  the  passage  of  a 
prohibitory  law. — Newark  (N.  J.)  Advertiser. 


TUB  FIRESIDE  ANGEL.     64  pages,  32mo,  with 
an  engraving.    Bound  in  muslin,  gilt  edges.    25  cents. 


MORAL  TALES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE 


VOL.  I. 


TOL.  II. 


A  STORY  FOR  MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYWOMEN. 


VOL.  III. 


A  STORY  FOR  MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYWOMEN. 


VOL.  IV. 


OR,  MARRIAGE  AND  CELIBACY  CONTRASTED. 

IN  A   SERIES  OF  DOMESTIC   PICTURES. 


8 

VOL.  V. 


A  STORY  OF  MARRIED  LIFE. 


VOL.  VI. 


OR,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  MARRIAGE. 


VOL.  VII. 


OR,  THE  RUNAWAY  MATCH. 


OR,  THE   iNBiSCRETlON 


VOL.  VIII. 


AN  AMERICAN  STORY  OF  REAL  LIFE. 


9 

VOL.  IX. 


A  DAUGHTER'S  LOVE  AND  OTHER  TALES. 


VOL.  X. 


VOL.  XL 


t 
OR,  TWO  ERAS  !N  MY  LiFE. 


10 

VOL.  XII. 


i 

OR,  THE  PALACE  AND  THE  POOR  HOUSE. 

A  Bomance  of  Seal  Life. 


WHiCH  MAKES  THE  LADY. 


The  above  twelve  volumes,  18mo.,  Muslin,  Gilt  Back,  may 
be  had  separately,  or  in  Boxes  containing  the  sett.  38  Cents 
per  Volume. 

Also,  in  Four  Volumes,  12mo.,  Muslin,  Gilt  Back.  $1.  each. 


"  They  are  the  very  best  of  Mr.  Arthur's  moral  tales,  and  should  be 
a  fixture  iu  every  household,  being  not  only  pleasant  stories,  but  the 
purest  of  moral  lessons.  If  such  fictions  only  as  these  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  our  young  people,  and  adopted  as  models,  we  would  have  uorea* 
eon  to  fear  for  them,  whatever  their  condition  in  life  might  be." — City  Mem. 

"  The  honorable  and  virtuous  sentiments,  and  the  practical  good  sens* 
which  pervades  all  the  works  of  Mr.  Arthur,  are  conspicuous'in  the  con- 
tents of  the  moral  library." — Godey's  Lady's  Book. 

"  Mr.  Arthur's  moral  stories  have  justly  received  high  commendation. 
Their  object  is  to  improve,  refine,  and  elevate  the  mind  and  the  manners." 
Alexandria  Gazette. 

"They  are  all  of  thrilling  interest,  and  high  moral  tendencies,  uul 
should  be  in  every  family."— Fttdriekiburg,  Fa.  Newt. 


11 


0plar 


COMPLETE  IN  FOUR  12mo.  VOLS. 


c<9W\kW|vJUtt)    ©AwA)      0  loW    lo^  /toA) 


THE    FOLLOWTOO  VOLUHES   ARE   PRINTED    ON  FINK   WHTTK 
PAPER,   AND    NEATLY   BOUND   IN 

Embossed  Cloth,  gilt  back,  at  $1.00  each;  or, 
Embossed  Cloth,  gilt  back,  edges  and  sides,  at  $1.50. 


IK)  %  JLife  of 


CONTADfllfO 

THE  MAIDEN.   THE  WLfc'Jfi.  THE  MOTHER. 


of 


e. 


CONTAIN  IN  0 

LOVERS  AND  HUSBANDS.    SWEETHEARTS  AND  THK1H 
WIVES.     MAKRTET)  AND    SINGLE. 


12 

of  Domestic  J|fe. 


coHTAunna 

MADELINE.  I  HEIRESS. 

MARTYR    WLt'Ji.  THE    GAMESTEB. 


jVoty  ^e^i  JLffe. 


•Hunmf 

BELL  MAETIN.  I  FAMILY  PRIDE, 

PEIDE  AND   PRINCIPLE,  |  MARY  ELLIS. 

ALICE    MELVILLE. 

Sent  per  Matt,  at  above  prices,  Cottage  paid. 

The  above  12  vols.  ISmo,  and  the  same  bound  in  4  vols.  12nio, 
are  known  as 

ARTHUR'S 

-     *   A  A 

H01VIE 


Agents  will  find  pleasant  and  profitable  employment  in  circa. 
lating  these  works  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 


18 

The  six  following  books  are  bound  in  uniform 

efcyle,  as 

"ARTHUR'S  COTTAGE  LIBRARY," 

and  are  sold  in  sets  or  separately,  each  volume 
being  complete  in  itself.  Each  volume  contains 
over  200  pages,  large  18mo,  and  is  embellished 
with  a  fine  mezzotint  engraving : 

THE  WAY  TO  PROSPER,  AND  OTHER 

TALES 50  cts 

THE  HOME  MISSION 50  eta. 

TRUE  RICHES;   OR,  WEALTH  WITH- 
OUT WINGS 50  cts. 

FINGER-POSTS     ON    THE    WAY    OF 

LIFE 50  cts. 

SHADOWS  AND  SUNBEAMS...  .  50  cts 


ANGEL  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD 50  cte. 

2 


14 

GREAT  EVENTS  IN  MODERN  HISTORY.  Com- 

prising  the  most  remarkable  discoveries,  conquests,  revolu- 
tions, great  battles,  and  other  thrilling  incidents,  chiefly  ia 
Europe  and  America,  from  the  commencement  of  the  six- 
teenth century  to  the  present  time.  Embellished  with  over 
500  engravings  by  W.  GROOVE,  and  other  eminent  artists. 
$3.00. 

NOTICES   OP   THB     PRESS. 

"We  have  here,  within  the  compass  of  eight  hundred  pages,  tb« 
history  of  those  events  of  modern  history  which  have  been  'big 
with  mighty  consequences,'  and  with  which,  therefore,  all  men 
should  become  acquainted.  Beginning  with  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus — that  new  starting-point  of  civilization — 
tne  work  proceeds  through  the  history  of  the  various  European 
nations,  culling  those  great  periods  when,  either  by  wars  or  revo- 
lutions, each  nation  began  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  the 
general  estimation  of  men,  and  to  make  its  influence  felt  by  those 
without  its  limits.  The  late  revolutions  in  Europe,  the  Mexican 
war,  and  the  gold  discoveries  in  California,  are  rapidly  and  vividly 
sketched.  The  illustrations,  principally  from  designs  by  Croome, 
are  numerous,  well  executed,  serving  to  impress  the  striking 
scenes  and  characters  of  history  upon  the  tablet  of  memory.  The 
whole  work,  in  design  and  execution,  reflects  great  credit  upon 
all  concerned  in  its  production." 


THRILLING  ADVENTURES  AMONG  THE  IN- 

DIANS.  Comprising  the  most  remarkable  personal  narra- 
tives of  events  in  the  early  Indian  wars,  as  well  as  of  inci- 
dents in  the  recent  Indian  hostilities  in  Mexico  and  Texas. 
Illustrated  with  over  300  engravings,  from  designs  by  W. 
CROOME,  and  other  distinguished  artists.  $1.75. 

NOTICES   OF   THE   PRESS. 

"The  matter  contained  in  this  handsome  volume  is  as  well  cal- 
culated to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  character  of  the  Indians  and 
their  modes  of  life,  as  that  of  any  book  ever  published.  All  that 


15 

gives  a  charm  to  romance  may  be  found  in  the  narrative  contained 
in  this  work,  but  all  of  them  possess  the  never-failing  attractions 
of  truth.  The  sufferings  of  numerous  captives  are  also  detailed, 
together  with  their  contrivances  of  escape  from  their  savage  cap- 
tor*. The  illustrations,  by  the  well-known  W.  Croome,  are  ex- 
cellent in  design  and  execution,  and  the  printing  and  binding  of 
the  work  are  fine  specimens  of  each  art." 

PANORAMA  OF  THE  OLD  WORLD  AND  THE 

NEW.  Comprising  a  view  of  the  present  state  of  the  nations 
of  the  world,  their  names,  customs,  and  peculiarities,  and 
their  political,  moral,  social,  and  industrial  condition.  Inter- 
spersed with  historical  sketches  and  anecdotes,  bytWiLLiAH 
PINNOCK,  author  of  the  history  of  England,  Greece,  and 
Borne.  Enlarged,  revised,  and  embellished  with  several 
hundred  engravings,  including  twenty-four  finely-coloured 
plates,  from  designs  of  Croome,  Devereux,  and  other  dis- 
tinguished artists.  It  contains  over  600  pages,  bound  in 
emb.  mor.,  gilt  back.  $2.75. 

INDIA  AND   ITS  INHABITANTS.    By  CALEB 

WRIGHT,  A.M.  The  author  visited  India,  and  travelled  ex- 
tensively there  for  the  express  purpose  of  collecting  the  in- 
formation contained  in  this  volume.  Illustrated  by  numer- 
ous engravings.  Octavo,  of  over  300  pages,  bound  in  muslin, 
gilt  back.  $1.50. 

SCRIPTURE  EMBLEMS  AND  ALLEGORIES. 

Being  a  series  of  Emblematic  Engravings,  with  written  ex- 
planations, miscellaneous  observations,  and  religious  reflec- 
tions, designed  to  illustrate  divine  truth  in  accordance  with 
the  cardinal  principles  of  Christianity.  By  WILLIAM  HOLMES, 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  JOHN  W.  BARBER,  author  o. 
"Elements  of  General  History,"  Ac.  12mo,  320  pages 
bound  in  muslin,  gilt  back.  $1.25. 


16 

PAGANISM,  POPERY,  AND  CHRISTIANITY; 

OR,  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  AN  OPEN  BIBLE  :  as  shown  in  the  his- 
tory of  Christianity,  from  the  time  of  our  Saviour  to  the  pre- 
sent day.  By  VINCENT  W.  MILNER,  with  a  view  of  the  latest 
developments  of  Rome's  hostility  to  the  Bible,  as  exhibited 
in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  Tuscany,  Madeira,  in  Ireland, 
France,  <tc.,  and  an  expose  of  the  absurdities  of  the  Imma- 
culate Conception,  and  the  idolatrous  veneration  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary.  By  Rev.  JOSEPH  F.  BERG,  D.D.,  author  of  the 
"  Jesuit,"  "Church  and  State,"  Ac.  Ac.  12mo,  430  pages. 
Illustrated  with  numerous  engravings.  Bound  in  muslin, 
gilt1>ack.  $1.25. 

OUR   PARISH;    OR,  ANNALS    OP  PASTOR  AND 

PEOPLE.  12mo,  452  pages,  with  a  frontispiece.  Bound  in 
muslin.  $1.25. 

PERILS  AND  PLEASURES  OF  A  HUNTER'S 

LIFE.  With  fine-coloured  plates.  Large  12mo,  336  pages. 
$1.00. 

COUNSELS  FOR  THE  COTTAGE  AND  THE 

MANSION.  By  S.  B.  EMMONS.  16mo,  288  pages,  with  a 
fine  steel  engraving.  Bound  in  muslin.  75  cents. 

Single  copies  of  any  of  the  works  named  in  this  Catalogue  will 
be  sent  per  mail,  carefully  done  up,  " postage  paid,"  to  any  part 
of  the  United  States,  upon  the  receipt  of  the  sum  as  annexed. 
Postage  Stamps  will  be  found  very  convenient  for  remittances. 


r 


^     \l 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


RtC'b 


SEP  20  1985 


"%flAIN.T]V 


lOS-ANCflfj:> 


a    ^  0  rT  8  "75  \ 

™       u^  23  Z3  \J 

$         jg    X-IP      i    £l  t"~V- 


3  1158  01034  4876 
££     *3  1    i  /•**'  •&• 

I  8  .  Jlo  I 


